My Name is Maximum Ride
by Madell X
Summary: 18 years ago I was created and forced to become an assassin for a secret unit of the government. I broke a rule of theirs; I fell in love. 2 years ago I escaped and the man that trained me, someone I trusted, is hunting me. Based off of Nikita, Max style.
1. The Cruel Beginning

**Hey Guys, this is a new story I'm starting, based off of CW's new(ish) show Nikita. Except with Maximum Ride characters.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Nikita.**

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><p><strong>Maximum Ride<strong>

My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years ago I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 4 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. I was the first recruit to ever get out and I'm going to make certain I'm not the last. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. I'm going to take them down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.

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><p>"Put your hands behind your head." A figure in a rabbit mask shouted at him, pointing a rifle at his head. While another figure in an eagle mask cleared the store of all its drugs. "Come on!" the rabbit shouted at her partner. "Come on! Come on! Come on!" the rabbit rushed again. The rabbit turned to look at her partner and while she was distracted, the man made his move grabbing the gun from the rabbit, but was immediately shot dead by the eagle. The sirens got louder and they both made a break for it, but the rabbit tripped and fell. She got up but it was too late. She was taken into custody by the police, the eagle and disappeared.<p>

"Take this one to solitary; watch out, she's a biter." She heard the guard next to her say. A man clad in black watched as she walked a couple of steps with them and quickly jabbed the one on her right with and elbow and took out the other one.

"I didn't do it!" She wailed as more guards came to restrain her fighting all the way, the man in black watching judgingly the whole time.

XXX

The girl woke up eyes focusing in and out on the objects around her, sights settling on a metal chair. She looked around to see that she was in a concrete room with fluorescent white lights. She was on an iron bed with a thin mattress, grey comforter and blankets on her and a rumpled pillow under her head. She couldn't remember how she got here or where she was. She looked around the room again warily sights settling on a black figure. She sat up suddenly and gasped.

"Good evening Angel." The deep voice from the man in black said. "It is Angel right? Never Angelica?"

"Who are you?" Angel hissed. The man in black walked slowly towards her. "Where am I?" Angel said desperately.

"Well, you're not in prison anymore." The man said walking over to the table and picking up a file from the table. "You're not even in Washington, although we're the only people who know that." He said bringing over the metal chair. "Your death was officially ruled a suicide as of September first in your prison room. This is where your ashes are stored." He said, laying the file down in front of her, pointing to a picture. Angel looked at them taking it all in. "My name is Fang and I work for the government. We've decided to give you a second chance." He said.

"Why? Why me?" Angel said through clenched teeth.

He looked at her and responded, "Because you're a young, white female with no personal ties or paper trail. Those do exist, but they're hard to come by." As he walked and sat into the metal chair, Angel looked at him scared. "What really grabbed our attention though, was how you managed to kill a criminal we were about to take out." Angel had heard enough and made a break for the door. Fang saw this coming and quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her down and pinning her arm behind her. Angel gave out a cry of pain. "His name was Sam by the way and he was part of a smuggling ring." He continued as if nothing had happened even though he had her hand in a position ready to break.

"It was Zephyr! I didn't kill no one!" Angel protested through tears.

"Your friend's body was found next to his apartment, dead from an overdose." Fang said. "No one showed up to his funeral either." He let Angel's arm go and she immediately scrambled onto her bed clutching her hand to her chest trying to protect it. "Your life is over Angel. I'm here to offer you a new one, but you have to be willing to earn it." Fang said.

"What do I have to do?" Angel asked.

"Learn." Fang said, and with that he started walking to the door. "Learn how to serve your country instead of just yourself." He said and then tapped in the door and left.

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><p><strong>Maximum Ride<strong>

_There is a girl, 5' 8". She is dressed in an angel costume, wearing a bikini and holding a drink. She has wavy blond hair and a slim, toned figure. She is seen walking towards a bald white man sitting in a hot tub surrounded by a small circle of water. She sits down on the sofa and takes off her sunglasses. _

"_Chica!" The bald white man beckons to her. "Come." He says._

_The girl stands up. "What is your name?" He asks._

"_Maximum Ride." The girl answers._

"_Maximum Ride. Never seen you here before, Maximum Ride." He says. "Who brought you here?" He asks._

"_Please, just call me Max. I think it was Ella, Elle?" She responds._

"_Come, have a drink." He says, pouring her a drink. _

"_I was kind of hoping to stay dry, why don't we go to the bar?" She asks._

"_If you want to stay, you're going to have to get wet." He says. She smiles seductively and hands her drink to a nearby guard. She walks over to him. "See? Now was that so bad?" The man asks, taking her hands and passing her a drink._

"_I would've preferred the bar." She says. "It's just taking your bodyguard out is so much harder. Sexist Pig." She whispers scarily._

"_What-?" The man asks, but before he can finish, Max has already broken his neck in one twist and thrown a knife at the nearest guard. She picks up a chair and blocks the bullets shot at her and takes out that guard as well. _

"_Target is down, I need extraction one kilometer south!" She says, flapping her wings and flying up into the air._

"_Negative, extraction impossible. You always had troubles following the rules, didn't you?" A male voice says through the comm._

"_Jeb what are you doing? Fang! Get me out of here!" She cries worried._

"_I told you, getting out is impossible." Fang says appearing behind her with a gun._

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><p>I wake up breathing heavily, in my car. Another nightmare from my days in working for the school, at least it wasn't as bad as the ones where they tested on me. I took a minute to gather my breath and start the car. A few minutes later, I arrived at a house I had grown to hate. I rang the doorbell and out she stepped.<p>

"Hi Anne." I said, wearing my shades.

"Hi Anne? That's a nice touch honey, but I'm not buying anything." She says cruelly.

I growled, "Alright, let's try this again. Hello mother." I said taking off my aviators.

"Maximum Ride!" She said half stunned, half mad. I took her by the throat, pushed her in the house and over the sofa onto the glass coffee table. She landed, shattering it.

"Wow, still spick and span as I remembered it." I said snarkily. "Too bad, I'm not around to mess things up anymore, huh?" She tried to grab me and I twisted easily, hearing the crack and the sound of broken bones. She fell back onto the couch clutching her injured arm.

"Y-y-you broke my arm!" She stuttered.

"Shut up Anne, try to pay attention." I say, smashing her flat screen T.V. with my fist

"M-M-Maximum. Honey." She said and I ignored her.

"Don't you honey me!" I said so calmly it was scary. Oooh, I was one scary person. "I was 11, I'm 16 now." I say. "I was scheduled to be cancelled but instead I attacked and they tell me I killed someone, I try to remember but I can't. They believed I was ready."

"They put me in your house where you treated me like crap while I did side work for the School." I said. "They told me I was serving my country and that I was getting a second chance. What they didn't tell me was that I was going to be killing people. They were training me to become an assassin" I said. "Before they sent me to you, they trained me for a year harder than they had ever trained before and they shot more needles into me than breaths I took. Finally, they sent me to you. At first I was happy that I was no longer training and being tested on, but being here was worse. You kept me in a cage every night and barely fed me anything. You had me take care of all your shit for you. I was perfectly fine until I broke one of their rules."

"What rule?" She asked. I was silent for a moment, the memories still painful.

"I fell in love." I responded quietly. "He was a civilian, his name was Dylan. After three months together, I was going to move in with him and get away from you. I was going to have a normal life, but the school wouldn't allow that. So they killed him."

"So what does that have to do with me?" Anne sneered.

"You know why Anne, they're still after me. They were keeping tabs on you in case I showed up, but that's okay. I want them to know I've been here; I want to leave them a message. It ends now." I say.

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><p><strong>So tell me what you think and if you've seen the show or not. There will be some Fax later in the story. :)<strong>


	2. Off the Radar

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Nikita.**

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><p>Previously...<p>

"I fell in love." I responded quietly. "He was a civilian, his name was Dylan. After three months together, I was going to move in with him and get away from you. I was going to have a normal life, but the school wouldn't allow that. So they killed him."

"So what does that have to do with me?" Anne sneered.

"You know why Anne, they're still after me. They were keeping tabs on you in case I showed up, but that's okay. I want them to know I've been here; I want to leave them a message. It ends now."

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><p>My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years ago I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 2 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. I was the first recruit to ever get out and I'm going to make certain I'm not the last. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. I'm going to take them down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.<p>

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><p><strong>Fang<strong>

"…Three bodyguards in the suite, one in the lobby. This is footage of him entering the hotel." I say. Jeb looks at it calculating.

"We've only got one shot at this, if he makes it to the conference, we fail. What's the plan?" He says.

"Two man operation. I was planning on activating Ari, he's a very promising recruit and I think he's ready for the field." I say.

"Very go-" Jeb begins to say but gets cut off by his phone ringing. "Jeb here. What? Are you sure? Alright, I'll send someone right away." Jeb closes his phone. "Fang, you've been given a new assignment."

"What?" I ask.

"Maximum Ride." He says. My mouth quirks up. No one had seen her since she escaped when we… killed her lover.

"Maximum?" I say.

"She's back on the radar, I want you to hunt her down and make sure she's dead this time. You think you can do that?" Jeb asks.

"What do you think?" I say and Jeb pats my shoulder once and leaves.

XXX

"I need you to concentrate, what state was she in? What do you think she meant by 'It ends now'?" I question Anne.

"I've answered this question 50 freaking times, my arm was broken and all I could concentrate on was the pain!" She yells at me frustrated.

"Think harder, was she tired? Defeated? Is she working alone?" I ask getting nowhere.

"I don't kno-" She was cut off by Ratchet shooting her in the back of the head.

"I'm all set." Ratchet says.

"Ratchet, I was talking to her you know." I said my face an emotionless rock.

"Don't worry, I'll clean up." He says. I sighed. "Look, Maximum is a lot of things, hot being at the top of the list, but stupid definitely wasn't one of them. Maxie knew what we were going to have to do, I don't think she liked this woman very much." Ratchet says opening bottles of bleach. I sighed.

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><p>She carried her tray over to the empty table and sat down. She picked at her food. The girl from the other table stood up and sat down at her table and stared condescendingly at her. The girl had cat like eyes and a tail.<p>

"What?" She asked. "What are you looking at bitch?" She asked again.

"You're going to die here, you know that?" The girl said. That did it. She threw her tray of food at the girl and threatened her with her fork. Quickly a guy from the same table the girl was at grabbed her from behind and put her into an arm lock.

"What the hell are you doing?" He whispered furiously to the girl. Angel kept her grip on the fork and never took her eyes off the girl. "Hey, I'd put that down if I were you." The guy said. He looked like a wolf crossed with a human, like a werewolf. Slowly Angel set her fork down.

"What's your name?" The guy asked Angel.

"What's yours?" Angel shot back.

"He's Ari, he's a pro because he's going out for his first mission soon." The girl said.

Ari glared at the girl and said, "This is Lissa, she doesn't think she's new here, but she still is." He sighs. "Look, none of us are volunteers meaning we need to stick together during training. Now will you tell us your name?" He asks.

"Angel! Ella is ready to see you." Fang calls. She nods almost imperceptibly to Ari and glares at Lissa once before leaving. She walks through the corridor and enters another concrete room with a large mirror and a mannequin with a flowing blue dress on it. There was a rack of dresses on the far wall and a large vanity mirror dresser.

"Hello?" Angel calls out, her voice bouncing off the empty walls. She walks over to the dress and examines it.

"Well don't just stand there Angel, try it on." A woman in a black suit says as she walks towards her. She had long brown hair and Hispanic features. "You'll find it fits perfectly." The woman said.

"I don't wear stuff like this." Angel replied venomously.

"As a style choice or because you're not used to it?" the woman replied equally venomously.

"Because it's ugly." Angel replied.

"And you're beautiful, Fang was right about that much." The woman said.

"So what? You're the one who's supposed to teach me how to walk and talk and chew with my mouth closed?" Angel mocked.

"My name is Ella and I'm going to show you how to embrace your beauty and use it to your advantage." Ella said.

"I'm not smearing that crap on my face." Angel replied smirking and turning to leave the room.

"It's not like this would be the first time you've reinvented yourself Angel, we're very impressed with how well you've hidden your wings." Ella said.

"How?" Angel asked.

"Well, based on the small hump coming from your back, your tall stature and your lightweight and bones, it wasn't hard to answer the question what kind of fourteen year old girl lives off the radar." Ella said. Angel looked away. "Someone who was taken from her parents, maybe sold. Then sent to an experiment lab where she was tested on just like many other kids."

"Not like them, I escaped." Angel said.

"Your captors, yes, but not the cruel world they forced you into. They made you an outcast, a mutant in a world you will never fit in. But you're a survivor Angel, you made it through hell, you'll make it through this." Ella said. Angel stared at her. "All I'm here to do is to show you that it's not hard to survive, sometimes, vulnerability can be our greatest weapon.

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><p>A black SUV pulls up to an empty cemetery. Doors open several men in black jump out with machine guns.<p>

"Position remains unchanged, use caution she will be armed. Where did she get that coat? It's the from the fall collection of-" Nudge is cut off.

"Okay, we get it. Nudge stay on task." One of the guys says.

"Right, sorry." Nudge says while the guys take their aim. _Run Max! _She thinks to herself silently. The men creep up to the figure kneeling before the gravestone.

"Execute." They hear the single command and they fire. The bullets whizz through her hair and her clothes. The figure falls over and they see that it's just a mannequin. _Thank god. _Nudge thinks to herself.

"Target on the move!" Nudge says "North gate! North gate!" She says. "Radio back when you have visual!" She says.

"Good job, Nudge." Max coos, holding a gun up to her head.

"Ma-ax, couldn't we have done this without a gun? I mean you are like my best friend. Oh remember that op we did when we dressed up and took the guy out with a scarf? Speaking of which where'd you get that coat, it looks fabulous!" Max rolled her eyes and knocked Nudge out.

XXX

Nudge woke up in a room with a single light. "Ow!" She says and touches her head. "Was that really necessary?" Nudge asks.

"Uhm, yes. You almost gave me away!" Max exclaimed.

"What do you want Max?" Nudge asks uncertainly.

"I want access to the school's network. Logins, passwords." Max says. Nudge snorts.

"Why should I help you? You left me there for dead and didn't even say goodbye!" Nudge says angrily finally exploding and saying what she felt for the last 2 years. Max's expression softens and saddens.

"Oh, Nudge, you know why I couldn't tell you." Max says.

"Yeah? You really thought I would tell?" Nudge asks hurt.

"No, I couldn't take the chance and put you in more danger. It was better that you didn't know." Max says. "When I left, each of you were taken in and questioned separately, with the truth machine."

"Wait, how did you know?" Nudge asks.

"Hmm, let's see, how many years have I spent at the school." Max asks.

"Good point." Nudge says and sighs. "It's good to see you again Max." She says pulling Max into a hug.

"You too Nudge." Max says, hugging her back.

"Max? Why do you want the network? It didn't help us trying to find where you've been hiding." Nudge asks while they're eating breakfast.

"I'm not hiding anymore." Max says.

"Then what? You're not trying to come at us, are you?" Nudge asks and Max gives her a look.

"OMG, no Max! You can't go after the school, you know what they could do to you! Max! You're insane! You can't take on the school!" Nudge exclaims.

"No, maybe not alone." Max says sending Nudge another look.

Nudge looked at Max sadly. "Oh Max, I wish I could. But Jeb would kill me." She says. Max sighs.

"Alright, but getting you back to the School without you looking like a traitor is going to be hard." She says half-jokingly. Nudge laughed weakly.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! I'm back! School is starting tomorrow and I'm pretty nervous. Well, wish me luck! Please review!<strong>


	3. Just the Beginning

**Hey guys, I've decided to update mostly on weekends now because school has started and I have field hockey after school.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Nikita.**

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><p><em>Previously...<em>

_"Then what? You're not trying to come at us, are you?" Nudge asks and Max gives her a look._

_"OMG, no Max! You can't go after the school, you know what they could do to you! Max! You're insane! You can't take on the school!" Nudge exclaims._

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><p>A black SUV pulled up to a small abandoned building. Fang and some cleaners jumped out.<p>

"She's long gone guys." Nudge said, tied up to a chair. "Good hustle though, very nice. You guys are pretty attractive on the move. Someone want to untie me?" Fang walked over. "Fang? Some help here?"

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><p>Ari is on the sparring mat, he is sparring with another recruit, one who looks normal but can move really fast. Angel returns from her meeting with Ella. She watches as Ari takes the recruit down and the whistle blows.<p>

"Oh look, all cleaned up. You know they say Ella can pretty up a pig." Lissa mocks.

"Maybe you should go see her sometime." Angel says not even looking at her. Lissa smirks and looks away. Ari is throwing his gear on the floor.

"He's intense." Angel says gesturing towards Ari.

"He's about to go on his first op, he's just stressed, even though he won't admit it." Lissa says, obviously caring for Ari.

"You guys?" Angel asks, not even having to finish the sentence.

"The school doesn't allow relationships." Lissa says coldly.

"Who said anything about a relationship?" Angel says sassily. Lissa rolls her eyes and Ari walks over to them and sits down.

"New girl's a spit fire Ari." Lissa says mockingly. "When are you going to give it up? Tell us about operation Black Sparrow."

Ari sighs. "Look I told you that's-" he's cut off.

"That's classified? God, you sound like one of them now." Lissa says harshly. Ari ignores her.

"Come on, I know it's going down at the Oakbridge hotel." Angel and Ari look at Lissa in astonishment.

"Who told you that?" Ari's voice drops down to a whisper.

"This is spy school and I spied on you typing some things in the computer lab." Lissa replied with a smirk. Ari tenses. "Some West African VIP, General Sawani or Saweeny or something?"

"This could get you in trouble you know?" Ari says uncomfortably.

"Oh please, who would I tell? I'm just jealous you get to smoke someone. I mean what are we here for right?" Lissa says. Angel stiffens at the last comment. "What? You disagree?" Lissa asks.

"What _are _we here for? Really?" Angel asks seriously, Ari looks serious and Lissa chuckles darkly.

"Oh man, is she playing with me?" Lissa asks and Ari glares at her.

"Half our missions we cover intel, infiltrations…" Ari starts to explain.

"And the other half?" Angel asks.

"You're here to kill for the man honey. They're gonna teach you to kill with a gun. They're gonna teach you to kill with your nails. They're gonna tell you who to kill and when to kill them and if you don't deliver? They're gonna kill you." Lissa says. Angel looks at her shocked.

"Lissa! You're up!" One of the guards call and Lissa smirks at Angel as she steps onto the mat.

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><p>"I don't know, but I think she wants to take us down." Nudge says. "She's pretty beat up." Nudge never talked too much in front of Jeb, frankly because he could cancel her with a click of a button.<p>

"She said who she was working for?" Jeb asks.

"No, but I think it's a bluff." Nudge responded.

"We need to halt all operations until Maximum is exterminated. She's a threat to the School." Fang says.

"No, we take care of threats, all operations resume including Black Sparrow. Understood?" Jeb asks.

"Where are you going?" Fang asks suspiciously.

"Joint intelligence conference, need to keep up appearances. I'm not going to let an experiment get in the way of operations. Not for one minute." Jeb says and leaving a frustrated Fang and a not talking Nudge.

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><p>Max stepped out of her shower, put a robe on and walked barefoot towards her computer. She checked her shell program while drying her hair. She had one new message. It decoded automatically and read "Operation Black Sparrow, target Safwani. Oakland hotel 1700." She closed it and threw on some clothes. She walked over to her firearms and picked up her favourite gun, she stares at it for a moment, remembering all the times she's held the gun and then she closes the case.<p>

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><p>There is a knock at the door, a bodyguard opens it. He stops the cart with one hand and signs the pad the bellboy hands him.<p>

"He's going to eat. Over." One guard says into the walkie-talkie. "Get the car ready."

A guard posted in the lobby replies, "The car is ready, lobby clear. Take your time."

A bellboy stalks out holding a small vial of liquid in his hand. He walks over to the guard in the lobby. He picks up his drink and empties the vial into the glass.

"Hey. This is my water!" The guard exclaims.

"Sorry, I thought it was from another guest." The bellboy apologizes and heads off to the rendezvous point.

The guard takes a drink of water and within a few minutes, he runs off to the bathroom and pukes in the sink. Ari is there, not morphed, and he pours a different liquid into a cloth napkin. He offers the guard a towel. The guard takes the towel and Ari grabs him quickly suffocating him with the napkin. He pulls the guard into the bathroom stall and the first bellboy arrives. They set off the alarm on his walkie-talkie.

"Gardiah! What is wrong? Come in Gardiah!" they hear the guard upstairs call from the walkie-talkie. Ari and the bellboy exchange a nod.

"That should do it." Ari says and they both turn to leave.

"I hope so." Max says smirking. The bellboy points a gun at her but before he can pull the trigger, Max grabs his arm and blocks a punch. Ari comes up from behind and Max kicks him in the stomach, Ari reels back as Max knocks out the bellboy. Ari jumps up and attacks her. He punches her in the face but Max dodges the next 2 punches while blocking one with her arm. He punches her in the stomach and max reels back slightly but quickly regains her composure. She unleashes a fury of punches on Ari, punching him in stomach and in the face. She grabs his arm and the back of his neck and slams him into the marble sink. Ari falls unconscious and slides to the floor. Max walks away slightly panting. "That could've gone better." She says and walks to and enters the elevator as the two bodyguards come downstairs. She enters the elevator and goes up.

"Gardiah is down!" The guard upstairs hears from the walkie-talkie. The General and the guard hear a knock on the door. The guard approaches the door carefully but is hit in the head as Max bursts through. Max aims a stun gun at the Safwani and pulls the trigger. She runs through the hallway with a sheet covered trolley. She stops when she sees Ratchet grinning at her from the opposite side of the hallway. Ratchet pulls out a knife from his pocket and a family emerges from one of the suites. They walk across the hall and one little boy stares at Max. Ratchet's smile fades just as the guards return from the lobby. They see Ratchet and attack him. Ratchet kills the first with a switchblade and starts fighting the second. Seeing the opportunity, Max quickly runs and enters the elevator. She pushes the trolley all the way to the parking lot and enters a limousine with Ratchet following closely behind. He shoots at the limousine's tires but the limo pulls away safely. Ratchet growls as he watches the car drive away.

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><p>Max pulls up in front of the UN, cursing as she swerves to miss hitting the curb. Once she's pulled to a stop, she honks the horn. "General, wake up, you're at the UN." She calls to the back seat.<p>

"What are you doing? You can't do this to me." He says.

"Do what? Save your life?" Max snorts. "I hope you noticed the wonderful kill squad that tried to kill you before you could make it to your peace assembly tomorrow." She says sarcastically. She honks the car horn again.

"You are American. I was attacked by the United States!" He accuses.

"The United States didn't attack you, one of their weapons did. A weapon they've lost control of. One called the School. They did this to me." Max says as she unfurls her wings slightly. The general gasps.

"I do not understand." He stutters.

"Simple, your country has a lot of oil but you don't own any of it. The oil companies that drill it do. They know that the second you stabilize the country, the UN will kick them out. Those companies contracted the School to kill you." Max explains.

"How do you know this? Who are you?" The General growls.

"I'm someone who wants to see the School crash and burn." Max says as she turns to leave but turns back and winks at the General. "Peace out." She says flashing him the peace sign before she leaves and guards find the limousine. The General is left disoriented as to what had just happened.

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><p>Ella is sitting at the vanity, checking her reflection when Angel approaches the door and knocks on it.<p>

"Well hello Angel, it's good to see you again." Ella says smiling.

"I was wondering if you could help me." Angel asks hesitantly.

"Well, of course! That's what I'm here for. Tell me how I can help." Ella responds happily.

Angel quickly grabs a pair of scissors and points them at Ella's throat. "You could help me get out of here." She says angrily, the innocent mask falling away.

"Angel…" Ella starts but is cut off.

"Shut up!" Angel snarls. "We're going to walk to the elevator, you're going to open it and I'm going to get in."

"… and go where?" Ella asks

"I didn't kill anyone. I don't want to kill anyone and I swear to God if you don't get up right now, I will kill you." Angel says.

"The elevator doesn't lead to freedom, just another room." Ella says calmly.

"What?" Angel says stunned.

"The more you try to get out the more you realize there will always be another room." Ella says and Angel looks uncertain. Ella stands up.

"I don't know who told you these things Angel. We're not murderers, we protect our home." Ella says.

"What home?" Angel asks with tears forming in her eyes.

"Home is where you stop running. You haven't been there in a long time, you probably don't remember what it feels like. It begins with a promise. You promise to put down the shears and I promise to forget this ever happened." Ella says. "We can start over." Angel relaxes her grip on the scissors and Ella takes them from her and smiles at her.

"Welcome home." Ella says and strokes Angel's hair as she begins to sob.

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><p>"We've hear of some high level espionage activity going on. Kidnappings, assassinations, but we haven't been able to trace it to any of our enemies or our <em>allies. <em>You come across anything like that?" John asks pointedly.

"Not that I'm aware of." Jeb lies.

"You work for us, remember that." John drops his voice down to a murmur.

"No, I work for whoever sits in your chair, but that person seems to come and go." Jeb says, not bothering to conceal the threat. He walks over to Fang.

"Black Sparrow was blown, _Maximum _sabotaged it." Fang says.

"Then what the hell are you doing here? Find her!" Jeb half whispers half yells.

"We trained Max to be a ghost, finding her when she doesn't want to be found is next to impossible!" Fang replies.

"Hey guys!" A woman's voice calls from behind; they turn around and see Max standing there in a short silver dress embellished by beads. "Thought I heard my name." Max says, smirking.

"How did you get in here?" Fang asks.

"A door, like you." Max replies smartly.

A man approaches them and asks, "Who are you bothering now?"

Max chuckles, "What? I can't mingle?"

"She's been behaving herself, senator." Jeb says. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Maximum, Maximum Ride." Max replies.

"Beautiful, your daughter?" Jeb asks the senator.

"Nope, yours." Maximum replies. "Yes, shall we…" Fang pushes her arm and she spills her drink on the senator.

"Better get some seltzer on that." Jeb says.

"That's right, that's right." Fang says as he leads the senator away.

"If you think Senator Marcus is going to be leverage, he's not." Jeb says.

"He was just my ticket tonight. I found out what escort to use when I worked at his estate." Max says smirking.

"Ah, so you've been planning this for a while huh?" Jeb asks and Max's smile fades.

"I want you to know I can get to you, I can hit you where it hurts the most." Max says.

"My feelings?" Jeb mocks.

"Your funding." Max replies not missing a beat. "Tonight was just a taste. I'm going to take you apart, piece by piece, mission by mission."

"Didn't you accompany to one of these, once?" Jeb asks.

"Yes, five years ago. You needed some arm candy to distract some VIP. I'm surprised you still remember." Max replies.

"I remember everything, which is why I brought a little back up tonight." Jeb says and Max looks around slightly, she sees a man holding a tray of drinks, definitely a School agent. "I'm going to have to decline your offer." Jeb says.

Max quickly takes out her compact mirror to look at the agents slowly advancing on her. "Now this doesn't have to be awkward, just take my arm and we can go right out that door." Jeb says. Max puts her compact mirror away and takes out a small lipstick. "You can go quiet, or the other way. Your choice." Jeb threatens.

"No Jeb, it's yours and you just made it." Max says as she opens and turns the lipstick, setting off a bomb outside. Everything is thrown into chaos and Max quickly grabs the gun of the nearest agent. She shoots the other two agents while using the first one as protection. Then she turns and shoots at Jeb and Fang's strike team as they duck for cover. She turns around and runs.

"Alright, stay here." Fang says to Jeb and he takes off after her. Max bursts through a door, checking as she goes for more agents. She grabs a knife and quickly slits her dress for room for her wings. Fang bursts through the door seconds later and keeps his gun ready in case she is hiding. Max quickly unfurls her wings and takes off into the night.

"Max!" Fang breathes right behind her. Max slowly puts her hands up. "Safety on, drop it down, don't turn around." Fang warns and Max drops the gun mentally wincing at the thought of someone getting hit in the head by a gun. "Start descending, slowly, then get down on the ground." Fang says. Max slowly turns around, hands still up.

"Just like old times huh?" She teases.

"Shut up." Fang whispers. "You were free. You had gotten out, what the hell are you doing back here?"

"Someone has to stop Jeb." Max says.

"If Jeb goes down, he has no problem taking everyone down with him. Our country will not recover, will you allow that?" Fang asks. Max's face turns into confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Max asks.

"I'm talking about every job the School has ever done, experiments, encrypted files, hidden all around the world." Fang says.

"So he gets a free pass? Keeps training slaves to kill for him?" Max spits.

"Spare me Max; I know you're in this for revenge." Fang says and drops the gun slowly.

"You blame me? You know firsthand what it feels like; having the thing you love most in life taken away from you?" Max says and Fang's mouth twitches.

"He wasn't your life, he was your cover." Fang says angrily. "I warned you not to get emotionally attached."

"You mean the way you did? With me?" Max asks, hitting below the belt.

"Don't." Fang says raising the gun again.

"Fang, I know why you're staying there. You want to protect the recruits the way you protected me." Max says.

"I can't protect you anymore." Fang says, hurt in his eyes.

"Then let me go, or kill me now." Max says and Fang's finger twitches on the trigger. Finally he drops the gun.

"I'll give you a head start." Fang says and Max looks at him with sad eyes. "If we meet again, I can't promise what will happen." Fang says. Max bows her head.

"I can." Max says and quickly pulls out a gun and shoots Fang in his left shoulder. Fang starts dropping and Max hovers ahead of him.

"It's a good wound; they'll think you tried to stop me, just trying to protect you." Max hissed and took off with her super-speed, tears in her eyes.

* * *

><p>"Max is our new priority target, threat level 6." Jeb says. "Every operative engaged at that level or lower will be working on this full time. Fang will be heading the detail." Fang's arm is still in a sling. "Ella will be taking care of our overseas assets."<p>

"There are only a handful of organizations who could intercept our intelligence…" Ella says and is cut off by Jeb.

"Someone is running her and I want to know who. Bring me her head and bring me all of theirs. This is war! Now get to work." Jeb says angrily and leaves the room. Everyone is silent and looks at the picture of her on the TV screen above their heads.

Nudge breaks the silence. "I still can't believe she shot you! I mean OMG, why would she do that? Fang you are so brave! You should get a courage award. Do we even have those here? We should have them, but everyone is so courageous here everyone should get an award. What colour should it be though? Red is a good colour but-" Nudge is cut off by Ratchet slapping his hand over her mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>Maximum Ride<strong>

I am back at my loft now. I click my gun's safety and I set it back into its case. I think about Fang and his hurt expression before I took off. But I had to do it; I knew what they would do. Fang may be second in command, but that could change any moment. I checked my computer, I had one new message.

**Nice job Ms. Legendary.**

Log off. I typed back.

**Chill sensei, they bought the escape attempt. They suspect nothing. **Angel types back.

They will. Never forget what I taught you. Log off now. I typed back. I clenched my hands in worry.

* * *

><p><span>She typed me and Angel smirked but did what she said, just as Fang came up behind her.<span>

"I'm never going to get this." Angel said.

"Someone else told me that once. She was wrong too. Remember you're just getting started." Fang says and walks away.

"Damn right." Angel says softly after he's left.

* * *

><p>I release the cartridge from the gun and set it on the table. I lean back and look at the mask of my eagle and smile slightly. Things were just getting started.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>So here's a long chapter for you guys :) I hope you review because if you don't then I might not write long chapters anymore, which means it'll take longer to get to the end and I'll always leave you with cliffhangers. :O Anyways please review!<strong>


	4. Dark Pasts

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading this so far! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Nikita.**

* * *

><p>Previously...<p>

"_I'm never going to get this." Angel said._

_"Someone else told me that once. She was wrong too. Remember you're just getting started." Fang says and walks away._

_"Damn right." Angel says softly after he's left._

_I release the cartridge from the gun and set it on the table. I lean back and look at the mask of my eagle and smile slightly. Things were just getting started._

* * *

><p>My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years ago I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 4 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. Together me and my partener Angel, a girl with a dark past I have trained to resist their ways, are going to take the School down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>M<strong>**aximum Ride**

"I hope you don't mind me dropping in unannounced." I say to the man.

"Ah, not at all, you were always one of my favourite customers." He says.

"Thank you." I say when a woman in a lilac purple dress brings me a drink. "I've got to hand it to you Trevor, these are gorgeous." I say, looking at the display again.

"If something jumps out, I have any number of accessories to match." Trevor says and I look back at the guns. I set my tea down and walk over and brush my hand against one of the guns. "That's nice." I say.

"That's mine." Trevor replies. I walk over and pull the silk sheet off of a sniper gun.

"Oh, love at first sight." I say, admiring the gun.

"It's very you." Trevor agrees.

"I'm going to need a mag or Lokken 2-12. A demographic scope and no questions asked. I assume the price is still the same." I say.

"I'm afraid it's gone up." He says picking up his gun and aiming it at me.

"Trevor…" I begin, not turning around to look at him.

"Supply and demand, Maximum Ride." He says.

"Ever since you've gone rogue, there's been a short supply and a great demand for your corpse." He says, releasing the safety and looking down when it gets jammed. I make my move. I pick up the rifle and click off the safety, training my eyes on him.

"I know Trev, your deal. I keep the gun, you keep breathing and no one knows I was here." I say to him smirking at his shocked face.

"Y-you're not going to kill me?" He asks stunned.

"Don't flatter yourself. I have a much bigger target in mind." I say.

* * *

><p>"We want justice! We want justice! We want justice!" The crowd chants.<p>

"The crowd chants in a protest against Mirko Dadditch's overturned conviction due to prosecutorial misconduct. The government is considering initiating deportation against him but as of today, he walks free." A reporter says into the camera.

"Two years and all my belongings are still here. America." Mirko Dadditch says, sliding on his gold jewellery.

"Ready when you are, Mr. Dadditch." Fang says gruffly. The cops walk outside with a man covered by a jacket and the crowd screams protests against him, except for one blond female, hair pulled back into a ponytail, leather jacket and a comm's unit in her ear. She smiles evilly watching as he walks by then pulls off his jacket and the man quickly bulls up his suit to cover his face, too late. The girl's smile fades when she sees his face.

"Hold on, that's not Dadditch, someone's playing a diversion." She says into her comm, with a Russian accent in her voice. She looks around and spots the black SUV and men guarding it as Dadditch enters it.

"He has hired protection!" She says into her comm unit and walks quickly but calmly to a car.

"Ah, Jeb." Dadditch says, shaking his hand. "Not bad, I feel safer already." Dadditch comments, leaning back into his seat.

"Protection is just the beginning. In 6 months' time, you won't be hiding from your enemies, trust me, your enemies will be hiding from you." Jeb says and Dadditch smirks as he looks out the window.

* * *

><p>"Okay kiddies! You got 30 seconds left, penetrate the system! Penetrate! Come on! Are you genetically enhanced or what? Let's go move it!" Nudge yells at the recruits. "10 seconds left before they dump you!" Ari leans over and types something into Angel's computer while Lissa looks on jealously. Angel works as fast as she can.<p>

"5! 4! 3! 2! 1!" Nudge yells out. "Fail!" She says spreading out her arms and wings. "Angel, you never launched your exploit, why?" She asks.

"I don't know. This hacker stuff is really hard." Angel says, putting on her best innocent face.

"Don't give me that face, I originated that doe eyed stare. Actually it's not hard, it's simple. I do all the hacker computer stuff and still look like a million bucks. I write the exploit! I even make it look like a video game so your little tween minds can understand it." Nudge says and is interrupted when Angel lets out a small snort but Angel quickly composes herself.

"You think that's funny?" Nudge asks Angel threateningly.

"Must be the drugs, you know how it is with junkies." Lissa says, obviously not over that fact Ari helped Angel and not herself. Nudge glares at Lissa.

"I thought our files were secret." Angel shot back.

"Failure was on me sir." Ari says hardly, trying to protect Angel. "I gave her the wrong shell code." He says.

"Shouldn't be giving it in the first place!" Lissa shoots out venomously.

"You know what? This is pathetic! Get out of here! All of you." Nudge says. She barely ever loses her temper but seeing Angel reminded her so much of Max that she was more agitated than usual. "You bunch! Get out! Right now!" Everyone gets up out of their seats, including Angel. Nudge points at Angel and says, "No you stay, the rest of you, GET OUT!" Lissa smirks at Angel as she walks by.

"Alright, you stay here and work on this. I'll check back in half an hour and it better be right. Remember recruits who can't get the basics don't last very long in here." Nudge says, tone cold and walks away while Angel glares back.

* * *

><p>Dadditch throws the curtains back and looks outside. "Ah, wonderful." He says and Fang walks over silently and quickly closes the blinds. He glares at Dadditch. "Well, he's no fun." Dadditch says and Jeb chuckles softly. "Come on, let's drink! What will you have?" Dadditch asks Jeb.<p>

"Oh, whatever you're having." Jeb says and watches Dadditch walk into the kitchen. Jeb turns and talks to Fang.

"You aren't making our guest feel very welcome." He says.

"Well, we should have used a two story safe house. This place isn't very secure." Fang says.

"What are you worried about?" Jeb asks.

"Communist rebels, hit men from the old country. Maximum Ride." Fang says, face an emotionless mask. "She is a wild card. She knows our security procedures and she said so herself that she was coming after us."

"If you've figured out where she's getting her intel." Jeb says. "Your job was to find out who was controlling her."

"Maximum wouldn't let anyone control her. If she did, then it would be a "quit pro, quo deal"." Fang says.

"And where are you getting your intel from?" Jeb challenges.

"Just a feeling." Fang says not missing a beat.

Maximum Ride enters her loft carrying her brand new gun. She walks over to her computer and she gets a message from her shell box.

**Paging Jane Bond.**

Are you alone?

* * *

><p>"Scotch!" Dadditch announces as he comes back from the kitchen, he hands a glass to Jeb. "Let me make sure I understand what we are toasting for. Your plan is to assassinate my successor, create a cool in the labour party and return me to my seat of power within 6 months." Dadditch says as he makes his way over to the lounge and sits down on a La-Z-boy as Jeb follows.<p>

"It's something we've accomplished before. Small nations don't pose much of a problem." Jeb says.

"You know my accounts are frozen? I can't afford the down payment on your services. Does the School do contingency?" Dadditch asks.

"No. We don't have to." Jeb says. "We know you stashed something more valuable than money when you fled your country."

"What are you talking about?" Dadditch asks calmly.

"Uranium, enough to make a nuclear bomb." Jeb says and Dadditch tenses. "Relax, this is me you're talking to, not the United States' Government. Think of it as a business transaction." Jeb says.

"Give me time to think about it." Dadditch says.

"Of course." Jeb replies.

"I will also need some other things." Dadditch says.

"We will provide anything for you." Jeb replies and Dadditch smirks.

"What does he want?" Fang asks.

"The man just spent two years in prison, what do you think he wants?" Jeb asks.

Realization dawns on Fang. "5 years ago, we'd be taking this guy out. What are we? Pimpin' for him now?" Fang asks.

"Don't think of Mirko as an assignment, think of him as a client." Jeb says sternly. "If I don't address the School's budget cuts, I'm going to have to make cuts of my own, starting with the permanent elimination of the young recruits." Jeb threatens and Fang looks away.

"I'll call an escort service." Fang finally responds, defeated.

"No." Jeb says. "Like you said, it's not secure. Get one of the new girls, recruit 13." Fang narrows his eyes.

"Angel?" Fang asks.

"Should remind Mirko of his homeland." Jeb says and walks away before Fang could say anything.

* * *

><p><strong>Nudge thinks I'm an idiot. They all do.<strong>

Don't underestimate her- and don't screw up too much.

**Or they'll cancel me, I get it.**

You get me a name yet?

**No, how are you sure it's a protection mission.**

You say they activated Peters, Heilburn and Chang. Fang used to call them Hughey, Dewey and Louie. Only use them for VIP security. I need to know who the VIP is and their location.

**Not going to be easy, still at bottom level access here.**

Copy that. Lay low, I'll find another way.

**No I can do it.**

I repeat lay low, do not blow your cover.

**You don't have to protect me anymore. I have everything under control.**

* * *

><p><em>Flashback- One year ago<em>

"_Ronnie?" Angel calls from the door, she looks up into the staircase._

"_Ronnie?" She calls again, heading towards the sound of rock music, she enters the lounge and sees several big guys sitting on the couches._

"_Angel, Angel, Angel." Ronnie says, gesturing for her to come closer. "Always strung out, always late." Ronnie says as Angel fiddles with her money. She hands it to him._

"_Where is it?" She asks._

"_Where's the rest of my money?" Ronnie asks._

"_I gave you a 50!" Angel says starting to freak out._

"_Calling me a liar?" Ronnie challenges._

"_Stop playing with me Ronnie, I just need a hit." Angel says. Ronnie smirks and slaps her across the face, sending her flying across the room. She hits the floor and a guy grabs her from behind. Angel shrieks in pain and fear. _

"_You bitch." Ronnie says as he throws her on the bed and two guys pin her down. "We make you feel good, you make us feel good." Ronnie says._

"_No!" Angel yells out._

"_Oh yeah." Ronnie says as he starts to take off his shirt._

"_Let the girl go." A voice growls from the doorway. They turn and see Maximum Ride with her wings half extended._

"_What the fuck?" Ronnie asks, scared and angry while one of the guys points a gun at her. Maximum quickly takes him down and knocks him unconscious. _

"_Who the hell are you?" Ronnie asks furious._

"_Guardian… Angel." She says between blows and takes down the next guy who comes at her with switchblade. Angel picks up the gun and fires it randomly, coiling back from force. Max ducks when she hears the gun shot._

"_Whoa, it's okay." Max says, trying to calm Angel down, when Angel fires the gun again, Max knocks her out. "Hi, I'm Maximum Ride, nice to meet you." Max says recovering from her fight and takes the gun from the unconscious Angel. She picks Angel up and flies out the window._

"Again!" The weapons instructor yells as the recruits are blindfolded and are assembling a gun. "Just because you used a gun to kill or steal or do whatever you did to land in here doesn't mean you know weapons. You will learn to mantle and dismantle a gun as a second nature. Like breathing, you don't need to see to breathe." He yells as the recruits quickly put their guns together.

"Done!" Angel calls out first and pulls up her blindfold.

"Angel. Excellent. You've handled some machine guns before?" The instructor praises.

"Not really." Angel replies modestly. "Must be the drugs." Angel says mocking Lissa.

"Angel." A voice calls from behind. Angel turns around to see Fang standing there.

"Uh oh." Lissa mocks.

"What's wrong?" Angel asks her face contorted in confusion.

"You've been activated for an op." Fang replies.

"What! Seriously, I've been here for two months and she gets activated?" Lissa complains.

"Stow it Lissa." The instructor warns as Angel leaves with Fang.

"Betcha Fang's tapping that." Lissa mocks.

"Shut up and field strip these weapons, you have five minutes." The instructor yells.

"I'm going to get that bitch." Lissa mutters to herself as she jams the screw into the gun.

"If you keep moving around like that, you're going to look like a panda." Ella warns as she does Ange;'s mascara.

"Ari was here for a year before they used him." Angel said suspiciously.

"In the time you've been here, I've seen your attitude improve greatly." Ella says. "Especially since you tried to escape the second day you were here. Fang must have seen the same improvement; he wouldn't be using you if he didn't think you were ready and you are." Ella puts away the mascara and releases the butterfly clip holding Angel's hair up.

"Ready for what?" Angel asks as she jumps up to look at her reflection in the mirror. "Why won't anyone tell me what the mission is for?

"We're only told what we need to know, it's safer that way." Ella says.

"So you don't even know?" Angel asks.

"You shouldn't be nervous Angel." Ella says as she turns and faces Angel.

"Yeah?" Angel challenges, "What should I be?"

"Grateful." Ella answers, not missing a beat. "To be activated this early is a gift and its very rude to question a gift" Ella says, eyes narrowing then smiles and hands Angel a dress. Angel glares at her as she takes the dress from Ella.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

_Angel wakes up, drenched in sweat. She sees that she is trapped in a sauna like room with a small window. She jumps up and bangs on the window._

"_Help! Help!" She panics._

"_Just relax Angel." Max says walking towards the crate looking object, shuddering remembering her times spent in it. "Breathe in and out." Max instructs Angel._

"_Let me out of here!" Angel wails._

"_I will, I promise. For now, just breathe." Max promises and Angel calms down slightly._

"_Who are you?" Where am I?" Angel asks desperately._

"_You're at my place, I'm a friend." Max says._

"_No, if you were a friend, you'd let me out of this closet." Angel wails._

"_It's not a closet, it's a portable sauna .I built it myself. It's going to help you get clean." Max says._

"_Why are you doing this?" Angel screams banging on the window as hard as she can._

"_Let's call it a gift." Max says._

"_I know how to get clean, okay? I know how to get clean. I just need to come down easy." Angel says._

"_There is no easy way down." Max says sadly._

"_I don't need a sauna! I need a hit!" Angel screams._

"_It's very rude to question a gift you know." Max says and leans against the door._

"_Please, please. I'm going to die in here!" Angel begs._

"_Look, I know it hurts alright? Your nose won't stop running. Stomach is cramping and your head feels like it's going to fall off. Believe me I know. I can only promise you one thing; it's going to get worse before it gets better." Max says turning to face Angel, a tear running down her cheek._

"_As long as you're here, you're safe." Max says and turns to leave._

"_No! No!" Angel screams after her, banging on the window as hard as she can but Max doesn't even turn around._

The suite door opens and Angel steps in after Fang. "So where's the party?" Angel asks.

"In here." Dadditch says pointing towards the bedroom. Angel turns back to look at Fang but he has a paned look on his face. Angel turns back to Dadditch and smiles. She follows him into the bedroom. He offers her some wine.

"That'll be great thanks." Angel says. "Is there some place where I can freshen up?" Dadditch points to the ensuite. Angel walks over and very smoothly sneaks the telephone in with her.

"No, no, no! I am not paying for rumours, I am paying for intelligence." Max says into the phone in perfect French. "I've got money, you've got dirt on the School. And stop trying to trace the call, it's amateur hour. Hold on." Max says slightly frustrated she clicks a button on the phone.

"VIP is Mirko Dadditch." Angel's voice says through the phone.

"The war criminal?" Max asks.

"South shore tower, Penthouse." Angel responds.

"Angel? Where are you?" Max asks alarmed.

"Angel?" A male voice comes from the other side of the door.

"Get out of there!" Max commands.

"I can't." Angel answers and hangs up. Angel breathes heavily as she looks at herself in the mirror.

"Angel? Champagne is ready." The man calls.

"Be right there." Angel says, forcing her voice not to crack and plasters a fake smile on her face.

Max rushes, grabs her newest rifle and heads for the door. She gets on the roof of her building and she assembles her gun.

"That is, one of the most amazing stories I've ever heard." Angel says in a fake sweet voice. "I mean to come from nothing, milking cows." She says shaking her head.

"One cow." Dadditch corrects.

"One cow." Angel corrects herself and they both laugh.

Max is still setting up her gun, she's working as fast as she can.

"I think that's enough about me. Let's talk about you." Mirko says as he runs a hand down Angel's bare arm. Angel tries not to puke as she drains the rest of her glass.

"More champagne?" She asks him, trying to stall.

"I think we've had enough." Dadditch says, not buying it. Mirko leans in to kiss her and Angel stands up quickly to avoid being kissed.

Max attaches the demographic scope to her gun and takes aim, just as Angel walks over and opens the blinds.

"Nice view." Angel says, gazing out.

"Very nice." Dadditch agrees coming up behind her and running stopping her.

"Stop!" Angel cries.

"Stop?" Dadditch asks, enraged and slaps Angel across the face. Dadditch closes the blinds just as max takes her aim. Max hisses in frustration and worry, she attaches a heat sensing scope on and takes her aim, just as she hears cars coming up to the building. She grabs her other gun and looks at the car with her raptor vision. _Who the hell are these guys? _ Max thinks to herself, as she sees several asked figures jump out of the silver van. She sees them going into the Penthouse.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Max cries out in frustration.

Fang can't take it, he hands his gun to one of the nearby agents and goes in to help Angel. He pulls Dadditch off of Angel and punches him across the face. Daddtich grabs the curtains, pulling them wide open. Gunshots fire out and Fang turns to see masked figures coming in to the suite, he quickly takes cover. When one of them enters the bedroom, he disarms him and takes out the next one after that. One of the figures unmasks and reveals herself and Angel sees that it is a blond woman. She points a gun at Dadditch.

"Mirko Dadditch. Get up." She commands.

Max looks and sees Fang losing a battle with guy who is trying to stab him with a knife. "get out of the way Fang." She says to herself, deciding whether to save Fang's life or kill her target. She sees and opening and shoots the guys trying to stab Fang while letting the other masked figures get away with Dadditch.

Fang looks up to see the perfect bullet hole in the window.

"You okay?" Fang asks Angel, standing up.

"Hell no!" Angel responds angrily. Fang ignores her and looks at the bullet hole again. He looks across the rooftop and sees Max setting up her gun to shoot the van, but she's too late.

"Damn!" Max mutters to herself as she watches the van pull away.

* * *

><p>"Think." Jeb commands Angel. "Try to remember."<p>

"It just happened so fast." Angel said.

"You're trained to think faster. You said one of the masks came off, you don't remember seeing a face?" Jeb questions.

"I…" Angel is cut off by a very agitated Fang.

"She had two bottles of champagne and Daditch was slapping the hell out of her!" Fang exclaims. "She was not ready."

"I want answers not excuses. Who attacked us, how did they find us and where is Mirko Dadditch?" Jeb hissed at Fang.

"Probably dead by now." Fang said, emotionless mask coming back on.

"Let's hope not. For your sake." Jeb says and walks away.

"If you remember any more, please let me know." Fang says tiredly to Angel and walks away.

"How is our front for the safe house?" Jeb asks coming into a room with a torture victim there.

"He keeps repeating the same word. Osveta." The man says.

"Did he say anything about Maximum?" Jeb asks.

"We're not going to get any more out of him." The man replies.

"Yes, we are. Get the inquisitor down here." Jeb says and walks over to the man. "You do not want to talk to the inquisitor." Jeb says to the man and the man looks at Jeb with hatred in his eyes.

"Osveta, it means vengenance, they're freedom fighters. A group trying to bring Mirko to justice for his war crimes." Fang tells Jeb.

"That explains Max's involvement, she always had a bleeding heart for the oppressed." Jeb says mockingly. "I guess the question is if they hired her or if she approached them."

"Or if she's working with them at all." Fang said.

"Why else would they have sniper support for the strike team?" Jeb asks.

"Well, it wasn't very good support, she killed one of them." Fang says.

"She missed, she was targeting you." Jeb says but Fang isn't so sure. "Find Max and you'll find Mirko. For now, we'll get as much information as we can out of their little friend." Jeb says just as the door opens.

Ella walks in. "You called?" She asks looking at Jeb.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I'l leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger. In case you didn't know, Ella is the inquisitor and for all those who have seen Nikita, let me know of what you think of Ella being the Amanda. If you haven't seen the show, I encourage you to see it, its a really good show. Although it might tamper with the way you read the story. Anyways, PM me up some time, I like to talk! Who knows, maybe if I get enough reviews, I'll update sooner ;) Just a little bit of incentive there. Special shoutout to my two Nikita fans who have taken their time to let me know what they think Mego225 and Alex1030, thanks you guys, the feedback I get keeps me going. Also thank you RosesAndSmiles, mehrong, JealousMindsThinkAlike and These Big Blue Eyes for reviewing. :) <strong>


	5. Something to Live For

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Nikita.**

* * *

><p><em>Previously...<em>

_"Or if she's working with them at all." Fang said._

_"Why else would they have sniper support for the strike team?" Jeb asks._

_"Well, it wasn't very good support, she killed one of them." Fang says._

_"She missed, she was targeting you." Jeb says but Fang isn't so sure. "Find Max and you'll find Mirko. For now, we'll get as much information as we can out of their little friend." Jeb says just as the door opens._

_Ella walks in. "You called?" She asks looking at Jeb._

* * *

>My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 2 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. I was the first recruit to ever get out and I'm going to make certain I'm not the last. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. I'm going to take them down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.<hr>

**Maximum Ride**

_Come on! _ I scream at the computer in my mind, willing Angel to pick up the signal on the other end. A single tone tells me she didn't. I bang my head against my keyboard. I sigh; run my fingers through my hair, guilt and worry overwhelm me as I remember.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_Hey how are you feeling?" Max asks Angel carrying bags in her hand. "Did you eat yet?" Angel doesn't respond._

"_That's cool, I like it cold. Cold and spicy." Max says as she places the bags down. Angel ignores Max._

"_So as promised, I got you a few things. Given I'm not one for shopping but I tried my best." Max says, pulling a shirt out of a bag and showing it to Angel. Angel takes a quick looks and continues ignoring Max._

"_Come on, the first step to feeling good is looking good." Max says to Angel, trying to motivate her. "and I'm running out of clothes to wear."_

"_What are you going to do to me?" Angel asks. "You don't know anything about me, what do you want?"_

"_I know you like smack. For me it was Ketamine, K all the way." Max says, sitting down on the twin bed beside her. "What am I going to do to you? I'm going to do what somebody has done for me."_

"_You got me here, trapped, why are you lying?" Angel asks coldly._

"_When I was high, I did something. Something I would be paying for, for the rest of my life. When I saw you, I saw myself, I saw a chance to prevent that from ever happening to anyone again." Max says._

"_Where?" Angel hisses._

"_Where what?" Max asks._

"_Where did you see me?" Angel asks._

"_I saw you walking into that crack house." Max says._

"_Why were you there?" Angel asks suspiciously. "People like you don't just walk by places like that."_

"_Angel…" Max says trying to say something._

"_Were you following me?" Angel asks voice rising with each sentence._

_Max rolls her eyes. "No." She answers._

"_How do you know my name?"_

"_I heard your dealer say it."_

"_What's your name?" Angel hisses and Max doesn't answer her question._

"_It's not a trick. When you're back to full health, you're free to go. Forget you ever met me." Max says tossing the shopping bags on the bed beside Angel and walks away._

I picked up the bullet beside me clenching it tightly and then setting it back down again. I stood back up and started pacing again.

* * *

><p>"… high velocity, self-sharpening." Nudge finishes inspecting the bullet.<p>

"It's a Logan 2-12." Fang said.

"We can trace it back to the production badge." Nudge offers.

"Nah, forget about it, Max wouldn't buy it from the manufacturer, she'd go straight to the black market." Fang said and Nudge tensed at the mention of her name. "Directly to the local dealer, those guys have their own signature."

"Wow Fang, that's the most I've heard you talk. Like, ever." Nudge says and is gifted a glare from Fang.

"Well, we can run it through the Shadow net." Nudge says, sitting back down at the computer and giggled.

"Shadow net?" Fang questions a smile tugging at the right corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, I really don't know what I was thinking when I named it. Then again, Shadow net. Sounds pretty cool right?" Nudge says.

Fang rolls his eyes. "If you say so, Nudge." Ella walks over.

"How'd you do?" Fang asks as Ella pulls her gloves off.

"We had an interesting talk." Ella says and Nudge makes a pained expression.

"Great." She mutters to herself and Ella glares.

"Not exactly." Ella replies.

"Why?" Fang asks, back to one word sentences.

"They want Dadditch same reason we did, they know about the nuclear material." Ella says. Nudge looks at Fang's blank face and then back at Ella's.

* * *

><p>"Let's try this again Trevor," Fang says as he tightens his grip on Trevor's shirt and hits him off the table. "What did Max tell you?"<p>

"I …don't …know …what …you're …talking …about." Trevor chokes out between gasps.

"Do you know any other dealers who modify their Lokken 2-12 with 30X compound?" Fang hisses.

"You think I'm stupid enough to lie to you?" Trevor asks hissing in pain.

"Let's find out." Fang says and tightens his grip on Trevor's tie. They are interrupted by Trevor's phone ringing.

"Answer it." Fang challenges and Trevor picks up the phone, trying to compose his voice with Fang still tightly clutching his tie.

"He-Hello?" Trevor says in a voice, a bit too high to be his own.

"Hi it's Max, is Fang there yet?" Max asks and Fang could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

"It's for you." Trevor swallows and hands the phone to Fang.

"How'd you know I'd be here?" Fang growls through the phone.

"Wow, good timing. You tracked that round pretty fast, I thought it would take you all night." Max mocks.

"We're pretty smart aren't we." Fang says, the corner of his mouth twitching in frustration.

"Always." Max says.

"I should have put you down in that alley." Fang says.

"Is that any way to thank me?" Max asks.

"So you're not working with them?" Fang asks, relieved.

"Fang, I don't even know who _they _are, though I do like their style." Max says.

"Well then let me enlighten you. _They_ are a group of freelance mercenaries. They're after the nuclear material Mirko Dadditch stashed away before he was arrested." Fang growls.

"What?" Max asks brow furrowing.

"Apparently he has the location in a GPS system." Fang says. "I figure we're about 24 hours away from weapons grade uranium hitting the black market so how do you like their style now?"

Max is silent on the other end.

"Shit, you should've taken Mirko out when you had the shot." Fang says harshly.

"And let you die? Don't blame me Fang, you work for the School and the School decided to get in bed with this guy." Max says tone equally cold.

"If this comes back to bite us, huh, then you'll be terrorist number one on every official list." Fang says angrily.

"Oh, uh oh. Does that mean Jeb will officially have to admit he's running an illegal lab and mercenary unit on the Pentagon's dime?" Max asks.

"Did you not hear me before? They already know. The School is a division of Itex and as long as Jeb has his little black boxes, he is untouchable." Fang says.

"Itex? As in the company that practically owns the world?" Max asks stunned.

"Max, I'm telling you the truth. The black boxes exist, every file on every mutant, every job, every cover-up, and every secret. You can quit, or you can die, but you can't stop the School." Fang warns. "No one can." He admits defeated.

"You know what Fang? You're right, I should've taken out Mirko when I had the shot." Max says angrily and promptly hangs up leaving Fang dejected and tired. Max smashes the phone down angrily while Fang does the same.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

_Angel is dreaming, she is drenched in sweat. She is mumbling in her sleep._

"_No." She says. "No, Papa! Run!" She lets out a pained scream. Max stumbles awake._

"_Shh." She comforts Angel, stroking her hair. "You're safe now." She says to the sleeping Angel. "You're safe." She whispers._

* * *

><p>Max replays the video of Mirko Dadditch's release when her shell pings.<p>

**Sorry I'm late, it got crazy over here. **Max released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

I know, are you okay?

**I will be. I'm playing dumb over here.**

So you saw something.

**One of the kidnappers is a woman, long blond hair, green eyes.**

Good. That helps.

* * *

><p>Angel continued typing, not hearing Lissa come up behind her.<p>

"What are you doing?" Angel asks suddenly alert.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm kicking your ass you little teacher's pet." Lissa says as she grabs Angel by the neck and slams her into a wall. Lissa throws a punch at Angel but Angel blocks it easily, but she doesn't see the other hand come up and hit her in the stomach. Angel has the wind knocked out of her as she hits the wall. Gasping for breath she jumps back in the fight, elbowing Lissa in the face and kneeing her in the neck. Lissa starts growing her nails out while swishing around her cat like tail. Angel takes the chance and picks up a chair. Instead of smashing it over Lissa's head, she destroys the computer with the chair, setting off the alarms. Lissa takes one look and tackles Angel backwards. Angel hits Lissa with her head and Lissa reels back. Within minutes, security guards arrive and pull them off of each other.

* * *

><p>Max looks at the footage again. "Not bad Fang." She comments when she sees how clever their little deception trick was. She rewinds and catches sight of a blond. She highlights her and zooms up close, surely enough, it was a blond woman with green eyes.<p>

"Gotcha blondie." Max says.

* * *

><p>"Her name is Hanna Cushko, grew up under Mirko Dadditch's regime." Ella says as they look up at pictures of her identification. "Her father was one of the leading scientists in his nuclear program." Ella walks over towards Fang and Nudge.<p>

"So that's how she knows about the uranium." Fang muses.

"I could tap airport surveillance for when she leaves the country." Nudge offered.

"No that would be too late." Fang says. "The second she gets her hands on that GPS, she'll send them to a team in Europe. She wants what we want, we need to get ahead of her."

"Wow Fang, you're on a roll! I haven't heard you talk this much since Max left." Ella says but quickly backtracks when she sees Fang glare at her.

"We need to find that GPS." Fang says in a bored tone and leaves the room.

* * *

><p>Max looks at her camera footage from her folder titled "Mirko Dadditch". She clicks on one with a van and sees the blond girl running into the silver-grey van she saw at the penthouse. She zooms in on the license plate. <em>Bulls eye.<em> Max thinks to herself and takes a deep breath before calling 911.

"911." A male voice echoes from the phone.

"Emergency? Yeah… I need to report a stolen vehicle." Max says, getting into the role of a distressed victim. She was quite pleased with herself. Distress she could do, damsel? Not so much.

"You have the plate number?" The officer asked through the phone.

"Uh huh, yeah, I have it right here. It's A6876-44." Max says continuing the act.

"Is that your vehicle ma'am?" the male voice asks.

"Yes, that's right. It's a grey paint van. My husband's." Max answers, the lies rolling off her tongue easily.

"I'll give your information to another officer." The man says.

"Okay." Max replies feebly and hangs up now all she had to do was wait.

* * *

><p>"Please. I swear, I do not know what this GPS you're talking about is." Mirko begs and several men quickly pull out their guns and aim it at him.<p>

"Wait." A single command comes from the passenger seat ahead. The blond girl, with piercing jade eyes looks at Mirko. "You really don't remember me, do you?" The girl asks him, smirking.

Mirko looks at her pleadingly.

"My name is Hanna Cushko. My father was Ivan Cushko. He ran your secret nuclear programme, but he kept no secrets from me." Hanna says with a Russian accent, narrowing her eyes at Mirko.

"Cushko…" Mirko whispered, remembering. "Your father was a brilliant man, he was a close friend of mine." Mirko says hoping to win over Hanna but she doesn't buy it.

Hanna smiles evilly at Mirko. "I know." She says coldly, smile disappearing. "That's why he was executed after the takeover, while you fled the country."

The smile disappears from Mirko's face as well. "I'm going back Hanna, I'm going to take our country back. I promise you, you will have your revenge, we both will."

"I want my family taken care of. The uranium my father enriched for you is his only legacy and I'm going to sell it to support us." Hanna says angrily.

"I can get you money Hanna." Mirko says and Hanna signals to one of the guards. The guard punches Mirko across the face and points a gun to his chest.

"I assume you hid the GPS in a safe place before you were taken to prison, you will take us there." Hanna says, climbing back into the seat and the guard beside her starts the car.

* * *

><p>Max lies on her bed listening to the police radio. "Squad 12, we report a suspicious, stolen vehicle, license plate A6876-44." Max tenses up, alert. "At 34th street across from the subway terminal." Max bolted up, grabbed a jacket and ran for the door.<p>

"Try matching prints from the safe house from these applications we got on file." Fang said to the kid working at the computer as Ella stood behind and watched. Nudge bursts into the room.

"Cancel that." She says and Fang and Ella stare at her like she's crazy.

"Move." She says and almost shoves the kid out of the chair. Fang rolls his eyes at her.

"Okay, so we assume Mirko stashed the GPS before he was arrested. I dug up some old footage of the FBI arresting him at 34th street subway terminal, they assumed he was switching transportation and on his way to the airport or out of state." Nudge says playing the footage. "Check it out." Mirko is just coming out of the subway terminal when suddenly 4 FBI men overpower him and take him into custody.

"He knew they were coming for him. He must have stashed the GPS beforehand." Ella says staring at the screen.

"Okay, we need to make a timeline of his last day, where he went, who he called and even who he looked at sideways." Fang says catching on.

"Yeah, we could do that. Or I could just rewind this to about 15 minutes beforehand." Nudge says smirking at her own genius. The footage showed Mirko going in with a bag containing something. "He wasn't coming out of the station at all."

"No he was dropping something off." Fang says, a bit peeved that Nudge figured it out before him.

"Yes! Shadow Net! Fang thank the Shadow Net!" Nudge exclaims happily and Fang rolls his eyes while walking briskly to assemble his team.

* * *

><p>Max steps out of a yellow taxi in front of the subway terminal entrance. She watches as the grey paint van pulls away, she smirks and goes down the stairs. <em>Perfect timing. <em>She thinks to herself. The subway arrives and the terminal clears out. Mirko leads Hanna and her group down to the lockers in the terminal. He pulls out a key attached to a silver chain around his neck.

Hanna smirks impressed, "Very clever." She says.

"I thought so." Mirko replies, glaring daggers at her. Hanna's smile fades and Mirko unlocks the locker and pulls out a black bag. Hanna takes it from him, checks it and then throws it to one of her guards. Max comes up behind him and yanks it away from him. The guard's eyes go wide and Max kicks him quickly with a heel. She runs and takes cover while Hanna knocks Mirko out and pulls out her gun. Max pulls out her gun and starts shooting at the other guards.

"Whoever you are, we don't want to shoot you. Clearly you rubbed the wrong people." Hanna shouts to Max, gripping her gun.

"No honey, you did." Max calls back and jumps out to shoot another guard. "If you want to get out of here alive you'll drop your weapons and hop on the first train. I figure you have five minutes."

Hanna chuckles darkly and shakes her head. Who did this girl think she was? "You have less than that." She calls back angrily. Max's eyes widen as she sees Fang and his strike team come down the subway stairs.

"No, you do." Max says and bolts.

"Weapons down!" Fang calls to the mercenaries and starts shooting. He quickly takes out one guard and then takes cover. They take out one guard after another. Mirko rolls to the side.

"Don't shoot me!" He calls out.

Hanna steps out and walks shooting boldly towards Fang and his team. Fang shoots her once in the chest and once in the stomach. He walks over to Mirko.

"Fang! Thank god." Mirko says happy to see him. Fang pulls him up roughly and slams him against the locker doors and hears a couple of his ribs break.

"Where is it?" Fang asks.

"What are you talking about?" Mirko asks trying to stall.

"Where?" Fang growls and Mirko defeated points in the direction Max went. Fang looks at his strike team and sets Mirko down. He starts sprinting in the direction Max went. Max keeps running as Fang catches up to her.

"Max!" Fang yells after her. Max slides across the platform and jumps onto the track and climbs over to the other side. "Is that the GPS?" Fang asks her and he sees a subway coming.

"We really got to stop being like this." Max says referring to the way Fang was holding her at gun point.

"What are you going to do with it?" Fang growls darkly.

"Well that depends, what is the going rate for this nuclear material?" Max teases and they both look at the incoming subway. "I'm kidding, you can have it." Max says and drops it on the third rail on purpose. "Oops." She says and disappears just as the subway crushes the GPS. Fang growls in frustration and waits for the subway to pass. He aims his gun again, but knows that Max will have been long gone by now, he looks down to see the smashed beyond repair GPS.

"Fang! Give me a gun so I can finish this war." Mirko says looking down on Hanna, covered by blood. Fang ignores him and dials Jeb's number.

"This better be good news." Jeb says.

"Good news. We got Dadditch back in one piece and no one is getting their hands on the nuclear material, Max destroyed the GPS." Fang says.

"And the bad news is she escaped." Jeb says completing the sentence.

"No, the bad news is she started a gun fight." Fang corrects. "Police and FBI will be here any second. How do you suggest I explain this mess?" Fang asks irritated.

Jeb leans back in his chair and sighs angrily. "You're the heroic agent who foiled the terrorist plot to deliver nuclear material to our enemies." Jeb says annoyed.

"And what about Mirko? Police will be all over him, we have no way of controlling what he says." Fang questions.

Jeb exhales slowly. "He was the one behind it." Jeb says angry and hangs up. Fang rolls his eyes but then a smile plays on his lips. He is finally going to be able to get revenge for Angel he slowly turns around to Mirko, he gestures for Dadditch to come closer.

"Now we can back to business yes?" Mirko asks ad Fang scowls. "Listen I forgive you for getting in between that silly girl and me. Perhaps I can get back to her also?" Mirko asks.

"I'll tell her you said hi." Fang says raising his gun at Mirko, Mirko's eyes widen and is cut off by a gun shot that goes through his head.

* * *

><p>"Former dictator and alleged war criminal was killed today during a gun fight today in an attempt to commit an act of terrorism on a New York subway platform today. Authorities believe his attack was in retaliation for being in prison for two years on charges of conspiracy to assassinate his successor on US soil." A reporter reports in front of the subway terminal while police officers go in and out. Max watches the screen while sipping a small flute of champagne.<p>

"Good save Jeb." She smirks to herself as she watches the report.

* * *

><p>Angel is angrily punching a punch bag. <em>Stupid Lissa. I'll get you next time. <em>A voice interrupts her thoughts.

"Angel." Fang says walking towards her.

"Hey, I'm glad you're here." Angel says walking over towards him. "We didn't get a chance to talk after the whole safe house thing and…" She is cut off by Fang.

"I think you should listen to what I have to say first." Fang says and Angel looks at him curiously.

"Jeb is disappointed in your behaviour, he is suspending you as a recruit and is sending you back to the lab for more testing. He has found you to have a lack of discipline and is hoping that the white coats can fix you. He's giving you two weeks to show visible improvement or you'll be cancelled." Fang says and Angel's jaw drops open.

"What! Lissa started it! She-" Angel begins but Fang cuts her off again.

"Lissa is in the same boat." Fang cuts her off angrily but looks at her with pained eyes. "I just wanted you to know first." Fang says and turns to leave but stops. "I'm sorry, what'd you want to say?" He asks.

Angel scoffs angrily, "I just wanted to say thank you, for saving my life." Fang turns away guilt overcoming him leaving a desperate Angel standing there._ Back to square one. _Angel thinks to herself and the lights in the training room start closing one by one.

* * *

><p><em>Max comes back into the loft carrying a bag of groceries. She sees an unconscious Angel lying on the floor. Max's heart starts racing as she drops the groceries to look at the bottle of pills Angel took. She checks Angel for a pulse and when she finds a weak one, she runs over to the kitchen and quirts some dish soap and water into a cup. She quickly forces it down Angel's throat. Angel starts puking all over the floor. Max reaches over to comfort her and Angel angrily pushes her hand away. <em>

"_It's okay." Max soothes._

"_No!" Angel screams._

"_Stop." Max commands._

"_Let me go! Let me go!" Angel screams at her._

"_Go where?" Max asks._

"_Just let me die!" Angel breaks out into sobs. _

"_I can't." Max says calmly and a tear slips down her cheek._

"_I have nothing to live for, nothing." Angel screams hysterically while sobbing her heart out. Max sits up. "Everyone I love is dead." Angel cries. Max looks away._

"_I know." She says softly, Angel looks up at her from the floor. "I was following you, Angel. I've been searching for you for over two years." Angel sits up, "I know how you got here. I know where you came from. I know who killed your parents. Trust me; you have something to live for." Max say, standing up and extends a hand to Angel. Angel looks at Max for a moment before taking her hand._

* * *

><p><strong>So how did you like this chapter? Sorry I didn't update last week, I was at a field hockey tournament, 3 ties and one loss but only one goal ever got in our net so I think we did pretty good. Also I will not update until I get 5 reviews. ;) Jks, no I'll update soon, but in the meantime, please review!<strong>


	6. Stirring Up the Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Nikita**

* * *

><p><em>Previously...<em>

_"I have nothing to live for, nothing." Angel screams hysterically while sobbing her heart out. Max sits up. "Everyone I love is dead." Angel cries. Max looks away._

_"I know." She says softly, Angel looks up at her from the floor. "I was following you, Angel. I've been searching for you for over two years." Angel sits up, "I know how you got here. I know where you came from. I know who killed your parents. Trust me; you have something to live for." Max say, standing up and extends a hand to Angel. Angel looks at Max for a moment before taking her hand._

* * *

><p>My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 2 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. I was the first recruit to ever get out and I'm going to make certain I'm not the last. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. I'm going to take them down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.<p>

* * *

><p>She is in a testing room, the white coats are forcing her to run on a treadmill at 50 km per hour. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't made her fight about 20 erasers beforehand. Angel felt her lids droop. <em>No I have to stay strong, if I don't it'll get worse and they'll stick me with more needles. <em>She fought as hard as she could to keep her lids open, she did but she couldn't. When the blackness took over she welcomed it.

She woke up in her bed at the School. _The mutant's awake. _She heard a voice say, but she didn't see the white coat's lips moving. _I can't wait to dissect her brain. _Angel shot up when she heard that one.

"Non!" Angel screamed and the white coat who "said" it looked very shocked.

"Dr. Anderson, I told you to keep specimen 57-23 in one piece that means no brain dissecting." Jeb says standing over her. When Angel looked at Jeb she heard nothing but when she focused, she could hear voices in the room, voices without sound.

**You're reading their minds, Angel. **A voice sounded in her head, louder and clearer than the others, as if it were coming from herself.

_Who are you? _Angel thought to the voice in her head.

**That is of little importance Angel. **The voice replied. **Now they have wiped many of your memories Angel, I want you to concentrate, remember. **She did as the voice said, she remembered coming to this place. This place called the school but then before that all she saw were blanks, holes where her memory should be. Angel started freaking out. **Take deep breaths Angel, they'll come back to you eventually but for now, just play dumb. **The voice said to her, and then Angel realized she was a talking to a voice in her head, how could she trust this voice? How did she know she could trust it? **Relax Angel, I'm here to help you and help you uncover your past. **Angel felt herself doing what the voice told her.

"How long have I been out for?" Angel asks the nearby scientist. The scientist stares at her for a moment not understanding her. _Uh oh, I am in big trouble now. _He thinks to himself.

Jeb starts to scowl, "I thought you told me there would be no side effects!" Jeb growls at the white coat.

"W-well her memories of the School are still intact and she understands us, I just don't know why she can't speak English anymore." The white coat stuttered.

"Well then what are you still doing here?" Jeb yelled. "Fix it!" He said and left the room with a bang.

"What's going on?" She asked again and the scientist took one look at her and passed out. _I don't get it!_ Angel thinks to herself.

**You're speaking French, the language you were raised in. **The voice answers her_. Wait? Raised with French? Why don't I remember? _She asks the voice, panic rising in her chest. She couldn't remember her mother's face or her father's laugh. She couldn't remember anything. She broke down in sobs. **Cheer up Angel, the memories will come back in due time. For now, I want you to go see someone. ** The voice said to her and Angel followed exactly as the voice told her.

* * *

><p><strong>Maximum Ride<strong>

Angel hasn't been talking to me on the Shell for about two weeks now. My gut twists with worry and fear. _What if they caught her? What if she's dead? What if they found out who she really was? _The questions swam through my head day and night, I thought back to that night.

_Flashback_

"_Maman? O__ù__ es-tu?" A little child calls into the night. I wasn't much bigger than eight and the child was six. This year we had been transferred to a lab in Paris while our lab was being upgraded. That night however, we were broken out of the school by a bomb set off. I saw a little girl in the building._

"_Shh, nous allons aller à ma maison." __I said to her in French and she nodded and took my hand. I led her and we walked along the parapet of the building. I heard voices and I covered her mouth and ducked._

"_Suspect one caught." I heard an agent call from the balcony below us. I felt the little girl open her mouth to scream but I put one finger to my lips and beckoned her to come with me. I heard the agent's footsteps pad away._

"_Peux tu voler?" I asked her quietly and she nodded. Then I counted softly, "Un, deux, trois." I said and jumped off the edge. I swooped along the building and saw the little girl following me. _

"_Nous volons comme un oiseau!" __I called out to her two hours away from the city. We landed in a dense forest. Any forest was a home of mine, I set up a little camp with the few resources I had._

"_C'est ma maison, elle est tr__ès petite, mais elle est confortable." __I told her and she nodded._

"_Oui! __Mon frère et moi campons dans l'été." __She told me excitedly._

"_Tu comprends l'anglais?" I asked her._

"_Yes." She answered with a thick accent."Mais, je ne parle pas couramment." She said._

"_Ah, mais tu comprends l'__anglais." __I said and she nodded. "Now would you like to help me start the fire?" I asked her and she nodded eagerly. I stayed with her for a day or two, enough for me to learn all about her and enough for her to be able to survive on her own. I taught her everything she knew but I had to leave or they'd get suspicious. She told me about her family and her parents had sold her and her brother to the School where they experimented on her at will. I shuddered thinking about it. She told me about her brother. She knew that he was dead, he was building a bomb to use on the school that night. They had escaped and put themselves up for adoption. Their parents were the only family they had and it broke my heart to know that this girl was on her own. I promised I would come back for her, I wouldn't forget her ever._

* * *

><p>I sighed, reliving the memory. It hurt every single time to know that a poor innocent little girl like her was put through so much pain and torture. I buried my face in my hands until I heard the click of a safety. I shot up straight, reached for my gun and turned around and aimed it at the direction of the click I heard, I realized it wasn't a safety at all.<p>

"Ah Maxie, long time no see huh?" A man with hazy blue eyes looked in my direction.

"Iggy!" I gasped. "You're alive?"

"What's left of him, at least." He said and I ran over to give him a hug. "I missed you too squirt." He said.

Let me explain, Iggy is my brother. Not blood related but we were next to each other in the same cage for a long time. One day white coats snatched him away and while trying to improve his vision, ended up blinding him instead. Although the white coats saw him as a failure, Jeb saw him as opportunity. Because his eyes were ruined, all of his other senses were heightened. One day he was plucked from his cage beside me and gone forever. I still remember calling after him as he was pulled away.

When I reached agent status, I finally saw him again. He was no longer the Iggy I remembered, years of killing had changed him to see the dark fate he was created for. His face was grave and serious. The last time I saw him was when I left for Anne's house. He had been telling me something important but I was taken away before he could finish. When I returned I found out he had been relocated and put on another mission. I asked Nudge to hack his files and she told me that he had gone rogue. After that, I don't know what happened to him.

"Hey little sis! I heard you created a pretty big ruckus back at the School huh? Way to go!" He said tousling my hair affectionately.

"I must say though Iggy, being rogue sure is treating you well." I said grinning at him like an idiot, this was so unlike me.

"It is indeed, I've never felt so rebellious." He joked but then grew serious. "How is Nudge? Is she still at… you know?" He asked.

"I figured you ask. Yes she is, I kidnapped her a while back but she wouldn't join me." I pouted.

Iggy gasped. "Max! How could you be so careless? Do you know how much danger you put her in?"

"Chill bro, they've been all over this already and her cover was seal tight." I said and he relaxed. "Although maybe she'll change her mind when she sees you." I say and Iggy blushed almost invisibly, but enough for me to catch it.

"Don't be silly." He says. "Now tell me, what happened since the last time I saw you?"

* * *

><p>Angel sighs and steps into the lunch room carrying her tray of food. She sees someone new there, a boy with spiky blond hair, blue eyes and a barely noticeable lump on his back. He looks oddly familiar. Someone she knows but she can't remember. The boy notices her staring and he looks up at her and holds her gaze. He looks at her and his mouth drops wide open but he catches himself quickly. His gaze softens and he looks back down at his food. He looked so familiar, Angel just couldn't put her finger on it.<p>

"Puis-je m'asseoir?" She asks _May I sit down? _and he nods. So he understands French.

"Quel âge a-tu?" He asks her. _How old are you?_

"J'ai seize ans." She replied. _I am sixteen years old._ His eyes grow wide at this comment.

**Look at him Angel and concentrate hard. You do know him, you just need to focus. **She focuses in on his eyes. She remembers that her brother had the same piercing blue eyes. Wait! She remembers what her brother looks like! **Very good Angel, this is the first step. Focus for a moment longer and you shall remember everything that happened in Paris.**

She focuses looking at those bright blue eyes again._ I remember. I remember._ She chants silently to herself suddenly she is hit by a memory.

_Flashback_

"_Stay here, it's going to be okay." The boy told me and for some reason I trusted him entirely._

_I see fire and explosion. "Run Angel! Run, hide and stay where they can't get you!" He calls to me running to light another bomb. I see his face, he is covered in dirt and is sweating buckets. I see that familiar lump on his back and wings shoot out from slits on his shirt. I take off and listen to him but I didn't know that was the last thing I'd ever hear from him._

I gasp, recovering from my flashback. "Gazzy?" I ask and his eyes widen.

"Angel, c'est impossible!" He exclaims and pulls me into a tight hug. I hug him back for a moment and then remember where we are. _Not now, later. _She said to him in her mind, glancing at the guards that were curiously watching them, she talked to him through her mind and didn't even realize it. Gazzy nodded once to show that he understood and then returned to eating his food and Angel did the same.

* * *

><p><strong>Maximum Ride<strong>

"…So I watched helplessly as Dylan had a crimson flower blossom from his chest." I said, finishing my story and wiping a tear from my cheek. Damn, I thought I could get through it without crying. Iggy looked highly uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? You look really uncomfortable." I asked him.

"N-nothing." He lied.

"Liar." I said, calling him out on it.

"This Dylan guy, did he have longish sandy blond hair and was about 6' 4"?" Iggy asked.

"Uhm, yeah. Do you know him or something." I asked and Iggy looked away. I put two and two together. "Oh my frigging gosh, it was you wasn't it?" I hissed. "You were the cleaner that killed him, an innocent civilian."

"Max, let me explain." Iggy started to say.

"No, get out of here. I never want to see your face ever again!" I screamed at him and jumped out of my window and flew out into the starry night. How could he? Dylan was my perfect other half and you can't just buy those at Target these days. I landed on the nearest tree and sobbed for another hour or two. Then I flew back to my loft, slightly disappointed he wasn't there anymore. I cursed myself for being so stupid then I lie down on my bed and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

I wake up to my alarm clock blaring. I smack down on it with perfect aim. It screeches once and then fades out. Oops. That's the fifth one this month. I sigh to myself and get dressed quickly. Today's the day. Angel, where are you? I called out in my mind. I looked through my window to a very rainy city and looked at my reflection in the glass. Yes, I should've done this a long time ago. I opened the window and jumped out, shooting up straight into the air as quickly as I could to get out of the line of vision of some early commuters. I touched down near a park and quickly shook the water out of my feathers. I folded them in close to my body and walked over to the woman sitting on the bench, I sat down beside her.

"She looks just like her father." I said to her.

"You knew my husband?" She asked and turned to face me, her face went as pale as a ghost. "Oh god, it's you."

"Be quiet, you're being tailed." I told her in a calm voice and she looked around worriedly. She tried to grab the gun out of her purse but I stopped her.

"Relax Caroline, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead by now." I told her and she very cautiously dropped her hand from her purse.

"What do you want from me?" She spat out at me.

"Listen closely, I'm about to seriously piss off a bunch of people I used to work for. But to do so, I would be putting you in danger." I said. I handed her some keys. "Over on my right is a blue Corolla, I want you to drive it 200 miles upstate, the coordinates are already in the GPS." I said to her, still in a calm voice. "Stay there for a week, I've called your boss and your daughter's school. You are free to go."

"Why should I trust you?" She asked venomously.

"I'm not asking for your forgiveness, I'm asking you to keep your family safe." I said, closing her hand around the keys and walking away. I saw her take her daughter and start the car. I smiled softly wishing them luck and then took off once more.

I landed near a small secluded building and as the truck rolled in, I got my chance. I entered the building. The scent of latex and disinfectant made my nose burn. It brought back awful memories and they overwhelmed me. I took one second to compose myself, wincing as I took a breath in.

"Hi, I'm the scientist from Midland?" I said to the lady who seemed to be in charge. I was wearing a white lab coat and walked into an office building. It smelled like hospital and I scrunched up my nose.

"Mirium Madex." I said, smirking at my cleverness. That was Maximum Ride in an anagram. "I must say, you sure have some fine specimens, I can't wait to get a look at their brains."

"Ah yes, although we have been told not to damage any of the angels, but you can go ahead and crack open some cats." The lady said. My smirk disappeared quickly and turned into a scowl. My eyes flashed and shot her a death glare.

"You make me sick." I tell her in a deadly tone.

"Who do you think you are?" She asks me angrily and I grab her neck. I whip off my coat with my other hand and unfurl my wings. Her eyes widen to the size of saucers.

"Yeah, I'll tell you who I am, you think you can just run around and play God? We aren't slaves or lab rats, we're freaking people. Deal with it." I told her.

"W-what do you want?" She stutters.

"Tell me where the Institute of Higher Living is, or I'll snap your neck. Not so fun to be powerless huh? Now be a good slave and give me the address." I told her and she choked it out. I smirked and turned around getting ready to leave.

"Oh yeah, one more thing?" I said and with that I walked out with an explosion that I set off with one of the bombs I smuggled from the School before I left. Iggy used to build them all the time and the thought of him brought a twang to my chest. Anyways, the bomb was strong enough to make the cages pop open but not to injure any experiments. Unfortunately that also meant no white coats were injured either. I smiled as I heard latches popping open. "This lab is closed! You're all free to go! Any debts you owe Itex are now paid." I called to them and they stood and stared for a moment before saluting me altogether. Then they all scattered leaving me emotionally raw.

* * *

><p>"How did you survive?" Angel asks Gazzy later when they're alone, still speaking French.<p>

"I got away eventually. I continued bombing experiment labs until they caught me and brought me here." Gazzy says. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"I-I don't know. I know that this place is a place where they train assassins though." Angel says and Gazzy looks stricken. "But there's something else. Something important I'm forgetting."

**Could it possibly be Maximum Ride? **The voice asks and if voices could smirk, Angel was pretty sure it was smirking. Maximum Ride. Those words were so awfully familiar, yet awfully distant at the same time. As if she were trapped behind fogged glass and those memories were just on the other side. She knew they were there, she just couldn't remember them. The bell sounded and Angel groaned. _Time to get back to training._ Angel thought bitterly to herself.

"Today, it's all about escape. Use your powers and your mind to get out of this metal crate." The instructor said. Angel shied away from the metal crate and the instructor seeing this, decided to make Angel go first.

"Okay Angel, you have 20 seconds before the thing blows up. Ready? Go!" The instructor yelled.

Angel sat in the crate and tried to work on the power box inside. She fiddled with the wires when suddenly she started feeling crushed. The dark cage. Trapped inside a dark cage. No light, no food. White coats. Erasers. That smell, the smell of disinfectant, it burned her nose. She remembered needles and pain, more pain than you have ever thought possible. Angel started panicking and screaming. A few moments later, Gazzy had opened the door and pulled Angel out trying to comfort her but to no avail. Ella stood there and watched as Angel flailed around freaking out.

* * *

><p>"Here's footage of Max in Lab 43-1 in Sector 5." Nudge says pulling up footage of Max entering the lab dressed as a scientist. "Apparently Max broke out all of the mutants."<p>

"What significance does this lab have to do with Max anyways?" Fang asks.

"Well they are the leading provider for the Institute." Nudge says.

"Her first mission." Fang muses.

"No, her first kill." Jeb corrects and Fang's eyes darken. "Do you have any feed on her?"

"Well there's footage of her entering a subway terminal in New York." Nudge says. "Am I missing something? Why would Max follow up on a kill she made 5 years ago? That case is way closed." Nudge questions, confused.

"Maybe she's reopening it." Fang says glaring at Jeb before stalking out of the room.

"That doesn't answer my question." Nudge says as Fang slams the door shut. "Great, just great." She mutters to herself.

"Nudge, see if you can dig up any more footage on Max, especially if she gets close to 54th street. Understood?" Jeb asks.

"Yes sir!" Nudge says and goes back to working on the computer.

Fang walks down the hallway, a memory hitting him.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

_Max is sparring on the mats with another recruit. She is training with another instructor. She delivers a nice upper cut and the grabbing and twisting the man's arm, she flips him over her shoulder. Fang watches a she pins him with her foot._

_"Good job Max, next time ease up on those shoulders." The instructor says and Max lets him stand up. Fang feels the side of his face tug up in a smile._

_"Max? Can I have a moment?" Fang calls and Max gestures for the next two to start sparring._

_"What's up?" She asks. "Whatcha got behind your back?"_

_"Nothing." Fang says, his eyes twinkling with amusement._

_"I may just have to fight you for it." Max says smiling. "You scared?"_

_"Terrified." Fang says and smirks._

_"Well okay, your funeral." Max says and gets into a fighting stance._

_"One arm behind my back." Fang says and Max mutters something sounding like a cross between show off and sexist pig. Max quickly punches but Fang dodges and delivers a blow to Max's stomach sending her backwards._

_"Fang." Max whines and Fang beckons to her. Fang tries to sweep over her head but Max ducks and grabs onto Fangs arm twisting it back and pushing him backwards._

_"Wanna even the odds?" Max asks, smirking._

_"Sure." Fang says and sweeps her legs sending her falling down with Fang falling right on top of her. Fang has her pinned down for a couple of moments and is leaning in towards her face, but remembering where he is, he gets up and helps Max up. He holds a key card out to Max._

_"That's it?" Max asks, looking disappointed._

_Fang rolls his eyes. "It's your ticket to the outside world." He says and Max looks at him with wide eyes. "You've been activated."_

_"I get to leave?" Max asks in shock._

_"The activation is provisional. You have to come right back once you complete your assignment." Fang explains._

_"Like a learners permit." Max says and Fang shrugs. Max eyes the card and tries to snatch it away from Fang but at the last moment, he pulls his hand back._

_"But you have to go see Ella first." Fang says and Max groans._

_"And let her smear all that crap on my face again? This better be worth it." Max grumbles and leaves. Fang stays back and tries hard to suppress a grin. He loses and a big smile blossoms on his face when he thinks of Max. Then he looks around and quickly goes back to being Mr. Rock. Max just had that effect on him; she made his heart pound whenever she was around._

* * *

><p>Fang continues walking down the hall and he watches Angel 's head of curls bouncing as she sparred with Ari, another recruit. She reminded him so much of Max, yet in a different way. She was innocent looking and carefree while Max was pretty intense. He clenched his teeth together. <em>Stop thinking about Max! <em>He commanded himself and Angel looked at him briefly, confusion and something else crossing her features but was still able to block Ari's next blow and take his stick in another two.

"Good job Angel." Ari said to her.

"Merci." Angel replied smiling back at him. He looked slightly stunned and then anger and sadness crossed his face. She had read Fang's thoughts and when he saw a picture of Max, she realized that's who she was helping. That's the girl who saved her life, trained her and gave her life a purpose again! Then she remembered that she needed to get to the computer lab. Something she needed to do, report or something? Angel wasn't quite sure, but as soon as she got down there she knew that she would get it.

"Angel, where are you going?" Ari asked.

"Je vais aller a le laboratoire d'informatique." Angel said but a guard stopped her halfway.

"Ella wants to see you." He says.

"Mais, j'ai besoin un ordinateur!" Angel said angrily trying to push past him.

"Now." The guard commanded and pushed Angel towards Ella's office. Angel sighed and stomped off. I guess this will have to wait. She thinks to herself. She shivers as she steps into Ella's office knowing something good wasn't coming.

"Hello Angel. I'm here to help cure you." Ella says.

* * *

><p><strong>So tell me, did you like it? AnikaandAj, has it improved and is it easier to read now? Also thank you to WaSingThEdAyaWaY for reviewing and I will remember to do a previously every time now, thanks to you. :) Well anyways, I got to put some Fax in (Y) :) :) :) which made me happy and I hope that made you happy. Please review! My goal is to have at least one more review before I upload the next chapter. ;) AKA I will not post until I get one more review. Well, we'll see but in the meantime, I really do like having feedback because feedback = happy writer = longer chapters and faster updates. Catch my drift? So enough of my rambling, see you soon with chapter 7!<strong>

**Random Question: Do you play any sports? If so, which ones?**


	7. Caged Inside

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nikita or Maximum Ride.**

* * *

><p><em>Previously...<em>

_"Ella wants to see you." He says._

_"Mais, j'ai besoin un ordinateur!" Angel said angrily._

_"Now." The guard commanded and pushed Angel towards Ella's office. Angel sighed and stomped off. I guess this will have to wait. She thinks to herself._

_"Hello Angel. I'm here to help cure you." Ella says._

* * *

><p>My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 2 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. I was the first recruit to ever get out and I'm going to make certain I'm not the last. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. I'm going to take them down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.<p>

* * *

><p>"What am I doing here?" Angel asks en francais.<p>

"I think you know why." Ella says, lighting a candle.

"So what, I had a freak out, big deal." Angel says and gets up to leave.

"No, you had a panic attack." Ella says, blowing out a match. "Now we need to figure out why."

"This is pointless." Angel says at the door but Ella was over there in a flash. "How did you-?" Angel questions but Ella shushes her.

"That is not important, come Angel sit down. We'll just talk. I promise." Ella says.

"Okay." Angel says giving in.

"Here, have some tea. I'm sure you'll find it to have a very calming effect." Ella says smirking. Angel took a sip of the cup and starts to feel woozy.

"Ella? What did you put in that-" but before Angel could finish her sentence, she passed out.

* * *

><p>Fang buys a pretzel from a vendor. Although he thought the New York ones were better, he couldn't complain. He looks around and sees his strike team up and down the street blending in and acting like pedestrians.<p>

"Kay, so what is this place?" Fang asks with a mouthful of pretzel.

"Eww, Fang, couldn't you at least finish what you were eating before talking? I mean hasn't Ella taught you any manners?" Nudge complains and Fang rolls his eyes.

"I'm rolling my eyes Nudge." Fang says remembering she wasn't beside him.

"In the subway tunnel to your left and in through the tunnel is where the Institute is. They have files on all the mutants, expiry dates and stuff." Nudge says. "Ooh! Did you know Lady Gaga drove by there on the weekend? Aw man, sometimes I wish I were still a field agent but ya know, recuperation I guess. OMG is that a store selling Justin Bieber clothes? Fang you'd look good in those and-" Nudge says and Fang hears a slap, probably someone covering Nudge's mouth.

"Okay where is it exactly?" Fang asks and Nudge gives him the coordinates.

"ZOMG did you see that woman's coat? That is so in this season, where did she get that Gucci purse I LOVE it!" Nudge says.

"Nudge, focus. Who's the boss?" Fang asks.

"Some guy named Chen Lo and he's arguing with the head scientist." Nudge says.

"Why would Max let the white coats get away?" Fang asks.

"Exactly what I was thinking, turns out she put a tracker on him. One of the really strong ones. She could be anywhere in the State." Nudge says imagining Max put on her leather coat and checking the signal.

"Damn." Fang curses under his breath.

"I wonder if Max still has that voice of hers. Where does she get all her ammunition? I mean it's not like she walked off with the whole defense department." Nudge says and Fang rolls his eyes.

"I'm going in." He says.

"Copy that, Nudge out." Nudge says.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_Come on Lilly, 30 seconds more! You can do it!" Max cheers Lilly on as she __finishes her last math problem. "Good job, you did great!" _

"_Thanks Max." Lilly says, grinning toothily. She had just lost her two front teeth. Max couldn't help but smile back, in the weeks as Lilly's tutor, she had really grown attached to her whole family._

"_Alright, I'll see you tomorrow right?" Max asks._

"_Yup, same time, same place." Lilly says and runs out of the house to play in the playground._

"_Good job Max." Caroline says as she hands me a cheque, "Lilly has really improved, she even got 100% on her last math test!" Max smiles ignoring the guilt that was eating away at her._

"_No problem, just part of the job right?" Max says gathering her stuff. In the past few months she had been sent to Rolland ter Borcht's house to learn all his weaknesses and collect intel__. She knew that he absolutely hated Snicker Bars or as he calls them Snickhuh Bahs and would never let any into the house. She also knew that he was working closely with a group of Chinese scientists selling mutant kids as weapons. Unfortunately, she also knew she had collected enough intel and the School was now getting ready to clean him up. Poor Lilly, it wasn't her fault that her father was a no good white coat who experimented on innocent children._

"_Rolland, I'm going out to the store okay? Lilly is out by Budd park." Caroline calls to ter Borcht and leaves the house. Perfect. Max thinks to herself as she sets the bomb._

"_Thank you Max, for all ove your hard vork." Ter Borcht says watching as Max leaves._

"_No problem, no problem." Max says and walks calmly out the door. Then she sprints as fast as she can and hits the floor when the explosion happens._

"_**Good work Max."**__ Fang says through her earpiece and Max ignores him. She gets in the Division car and can't think about anything but Lilly's smiling face, the girl who was going to have to go without a father._

_**Sometimes Max, we have to make small sacrifices for the bigger picture. **__The voice told me._

_Oh shut up voice, tell me, is it fair that she has to go through the life I lived? I said and the voice didn't respond. Thanks voice, thanks for answering._

* * *

><p>I stare out my window looking at the School's strike team waiting right outside the terminal. Crap. I pull up my hood and walk into the terminal.<p>

**Good Max, now to the left. ** My voice told me. Yes I have a voice; it came with the whole bird kid package.

I knocked down the door and took out the guard by the computer. I opened the computer and typed in the password. What did Nudge say it was again?

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_I can feel the lady who works here, she has frizzy red hair and round glasses." Nudge says._

"_Wow, touch something else." Iggy says._

"_Guys, focus." I said and typed in the password._

* * *

><p>I typed the password into the big computer and it worked! I figured they would change it from the last time we broke into the Institute, I mean they relocated and everything! I saw the man on the screen and gasped. No I killed him, I saw the explosion with my own eyes! I heard footsteps and quickly hit print. I sprinted out the door just fast enough to get behind a piece of bulletproof glass door. I turned around, gun in hand.<p>

"Fang?" I asked seeing him behind the glass.

"Max?" Fang looks at me eyes wide but quickly hardened. "So you're going to take down the Institute now? Is that it?"

"Fang, listen, Rolland ter Borcht is still alive!" I gasp and his face contorts in confusion.

"How? You killed him." He says.

"Apparently not, but I'm going to put a stop to him once and for all. I don't want another kid suffering through the life I had." I say.

"Max, don't do this please, don't take on the School." Fang pleads and I turn around and run. I feel Fang staring me down and I can hear him calling my name but I ignore him as I start popping latches.

"You're all free! Get out of here!" I shout at the top of my lungs. There is another girl there with wings, she looks at me and nods thanks. She doesn't wish to join me and she takes all of the kids with her. It's good to know that they have a leader that is so strong and so willing to care for them. I wait a couple of minutes and then take off myself, smirking at the gaping expressions of some late night party goers.

* * *

><p>"I need a location for ter Borcht." Fang says, walking into Jeb's office. Jeb raises an eyebrow.<p>

"Who have you been talking to? Oh wait that's right, Maximum Ride." Jeb says and Fang shrugs.

"You never question anything I do, I love that about you." Jeb comments and Fang answers in a flat tone.

"I assumed you have your reasons." Fang says.

"You assume correctly. Now as for ter Borcht, he was one of our leading scientists in the Institute. He always provided us with our best fighters, I mean where do you think Nudge came from?" Jeb says.

"I thought we found her in the street fighting world." Fang says.

"We did, she broke out of the Institute twelve years ago and survived on her own for three years before we found her and brought her back to the School. We gave her warm clothes and food, a family and a purpose. That's why her loyalties to us are so strong." Jeb says taking pride in this. Fang chuckles darkly to himself.

"So she was one of ter Borcht's creations, huh." Fang says and Jeb's face darkens.

"I'll have Nudge send you the coordinates in Shanghai." Jeb says furrowing his brow and Fang exits the room.

* * *

><p>Angel wakes up strapped to an operation table.<p>

"Relax Angel, we're going to run a few tests to make your memories return." Ella says. "Then we're going to dig to the root of your panic attack."

"Non! Je veux aller!" Angel yells thrashing.

"Come one Angel, the only way to stop the pain is to let it all go." Ella says and Angel keeps thrashing.

"Non!" Angel screams and a white coat injects something into the crook of her arm. The world goes blurry and then dark.

* * *

><p><strong>Maximum Ride<strong>

"Ma'am, you need to come with us." One of the security guards tells me.

"What do you want?" I growl.

"Hello Max, long time no see." Rolland smirks and stuns me with a Taser. Shit, I did not see this one coming. I wake up in an iron cage.

"So here we have the infamous specimen of our most successful experiments, Maximum Ride." Rolland says in his funny accent and lifts the silk up from my cage. I hear gasps and babbling.

"You are now free to question." Rolland says to the scientists as if I'm not there.

"How high can you go?" One of them asks and I cut ter Borchty off.

"High." I answer, "Higher than an airplane."

"How high?" Another asks.

"So high I can't hear the thwuck of the propellors." I say smirking. "You mean a toy airplane right?"

The scientists from China look confused but move on nonetheless. "What feats have you accomplished?" One asks.

"I once ate nine snicker bars without barfing." I say and bite my lip to keep from laughing. Ter Borcht's face just gets redder and redder.

"Enough!" Ter Borcht yells and I pull back in surprise. "You better keep that smart mouth of yours shut, if you want to survive that is." He says. That was the last straw. I pull his collar choking him and take out my secret weapon. A snicker bar. Not just any snicker bar, one laced with poison.

"You will unlock my cage and let me out. You will call off your guards and send the scientists home. We are going to get into the car and you are not going to argue. I figure you have about 2 hours before the antidote will be too late. Nod once if you understand." I whisper angrily into his ear. He nods once and I let him go. As soon as I let him go, four guards start advancing on me. Rolland laughs manaically and I kick one in the stomach while flipping one over my shoulder. I punch one's daylights out and then proceed to fling his body into the last guard. Rolland pales and I knock him out injecting the antidote into his arm. I hear a gunshot behind me and I whip my head around so fast I'm surprised I didn't give myself whiplash. I see Fang holding a gun and the dead guard behind me. He nods once at me and without hesitation I get in the car and drop Rolland off at the nearest police station.

* * *

><p>Angel wakes up, memories intact. <strong>Angel, Ella is going to question you. Tell her the truth but not all of the truth, understood? <strong>The voice warned Angel.

"I'm glad it worked, good job Ella. I'll leave you to it now." Jeb says and leaves the room.

"Now Angel, let's have a little talk." Ella says and Angel realizes she can't move anything neck down. "You see your panic attack was triggered by something and unless we can find out what that trigger is, you are a liability on the field, a threat. Here at the School, we take care of threats. So choose wisely Angel." Angel stops thrashing. **Angel, do as she says, she is perfectly capable of triggering your expiration date early. **The voice warned again and Angel's blood boiled.

"Good." Ella says. "Angel, whenever you're ready, feel free to start." Angel takes a deep breath.

"When I was five." Angel begins. "I was in a cage." Angel shudders mentally, reliving the memory. "The fire alarms went off, screeching. There was smoke everywhere." She says. "They ran for their lives and left us all alone." She says remembering the sound of feet clicking on the marble floors outside her door while the alarms blared all around her. "I was in solitary, recovering from a test they had run on me. I was still paralyzed." Angel says remembering feeling helpless. "There was so much smoke, I couldn't breathe. Then came the fire, its flames licked towards my cage." She says eyes glazed over, mouth no longer listening to her brain. Once she opened the gates, everything came flooding out. "I remember the pain, it was almost unbearable. But I was trapped, trapped in my cage, trapped in my body. Everything started to close in on me. I suffered through the pain though and once I gained control of my arms and legs, I broke my cage and flew out into the night." Angel says. "The night I escaped from the lab and you were the ones who put me there." Angel finishes hatred penetrating the room.

Ella stands there smiling at Angel. "Good job Angel, I'm proud of you." She says and Angel watches as she walks away leaving Angel alone once more.

* * *

><p>I walk down to the park and pick up a newspaper from a stand. I read the headline.<p>

**Ter Borcht, Rolland. Geneticist arrested for Human Experimentation.** I looked at it and smiled. Oh yeah, bring it on Jeb, bring it on.

* * *

><p>"No, no commission. Yes, I understand. Again I apologize. Okay, goodbye." Jeb says frustrated and he buries his face in his hands. This was not over, not by a long shot.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Sneak peek<strong>

_"I'm the only one who can save Iggy."_

_"All positions, green light, exterminate."_

_"No Tess, come on don't die on me now. I love you."_

_"You think I'm bluffing?"_

_"I'm so sorry. I can't believe I put you through so much pain."_

* * *

><p><strong>So, sorry this chapter was so short, but I'll have another one up soon! Thanks for all the reviews and criticism you guys! :) Also this time my goal is to have 2 reviews by the next time I update. <strong>

**Random Question: What is your favourite sitcom and movie?**


	8. Loving Anyone is Dangerous

**Disclaimer: I do no own Maximum Ride or Nikita**

* * *

><p><em>Previously...<em>

_I walk down to the park and pick up a newspaper from a stand. I read the headline._

_**Ter Borcht, Rolland. Geneticist arrested for Human Experimentation.** I looked at it and smiled. Oh yeah, bring it on Jeb, bring it on._

_ "No, no commission. Yes, I understand. Again I apologize. Okay, goodbye." Jeb says frustrated and he buries his face in his hands. This was not over, not by a long shot._

* * *

><p>My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 2 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. I was the first recruit to ever get out and I'm going to make certain I'm not the last. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. I'm going to take them down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Maximum Ride<strong>

I was doing some research on the invincible item Fang kept telling me about, the one item that made Jeb immune to all the rules. As I do research I come up across an interesting article about a break in at the bank. I gasp when I see the picture. No way.I grab a jacket and launch myself out of the closest window. I pray hoping I'm not too late.

* * *

><p>Angel mind reads in on the conversations of Fang and Nudge in the Intel room.<p>

"Why would Jeb care about a bank robbery?" Nudge asks Fang.

"I don't know Nudge! I don't know!" Fang says exasperated.

"Well, he sure was anxious to get out of here; he caught the first flight to Saskatoon." Nudge says.

"Well, pull up that article again. Try a different news source." Fang suggested.

"Wait, here's another article, this one has a picture." Nudge says and then gasps.

"It can't be." Fang says and Angel looks at the picture. It was of an 18 year old boy, sandy blond hair and hazy blue eyes.

"Iggy?" Nudge gasps. "Oh Ella will be so happy to hear about this."

"I already did." Ella says, walking into the room.

"What happened after he went rogue?" Nudge asks.

"I don't know, Iggy was taken into Jeb's office after Operation Phoenix. I never saw him since." Ella says sadly, "Well, at least until now that is."

"So that means Jeb didn't kill him?" Nudge asks.

"Iggy was always so loyal to Jeb I don't know why he behaved the way he did." Fang says.

"You mean like you?" Ella asks hitting below the belt. "Doesn't matter, I'm going to check it out."

"I'm coming with you." Fang says.

"But…" Nudge says.

"Put all the recruits in lockdown." Fang orders and grabs his jacket while heading for the door.

"But Fang…" Nudge whines.

"No buts." Ella says walking out after Fang. They take the elevator to the surface and exit out of a skylight.

Nudge whispers to herself, "But I want to see him too."

Angel looked at Gazzy and saw something was troubling him. Angel went over to him.

"Gazzy? What's wrong?" Angel asks.

"Nothing." Gazzy lied and Angel searched through his mind.

"Who is this Iggy everyone keeps talking about?" Angel wonders out loud and Gazzy looks at her with wide eyes.

"How did you? What did you?" Gazzy stutters.

_I can read minds. _Angel tells him and Gazzy's eyes widen even more if that were possible. _Oh and I can mind speak too. _Angel adds.

_What have they done to you? _Gazzy asks with a grim expression.

_I don't know. All I know is when Lissa attacked me, they experimented on me to make me more compliant, and they didn't expect me to gain another power. _Angel tells him. Then she thinks to herself, Lissa had looked awfully hollow and her eyes were blank most of the time. Something told Angel that Lissa wasn't as lucky as she was.

_I swear if they- _Gazzy begins and Angel cuts him off.

_Tell me about Iggy. _Angel says to Gazzy and Gazzy nods once.

_Remember when I told you I got away? _Gazzy asks and Angel nods. _I didn't get away on my own. _Gazzy confesses and Angel looks at him confused. _At the time, I was in a lab in Phoenix, Arizona. _Gazzy says his eyes clouding over remembering what had happened. _I had been moved from several labs and every time at the end of three months, I would bomb the place, set the experiments free and run for my life but they would always catch me and take me to a new lab. _Gazzy says. Angel sees the pictures through his eyes and she shudders.

_Why? _Angel asks.

_I have a tracker. _Gazzy explains. _The tracker is a chip in my arm that also comes with a code. Once activated, an expiration date appears on the back of my neck and I would have until that time to live._

_Do I have one too? _Angel asks eyes widening.

_I don't know. _Gazzy says, eyes darkening. _Anyways, they were sending me to a final lab where they would activate my chip and test me for three months, give or take, until my body shut down. There were three others with me, each labelled as dangerous._

_What happened? _Angel asks.

_We were being escorted by two people. One girl, Hispanic with brown wings, like a Canadian Goose, and the other, a guy, blond hair, blind with wings as well. The guy, as you can guess was Iggy. On the trip he talked to me like he had known me forever and when a sudden bomb went off. He took me to a safe place and removed my chip. Then he left and promised he would come back for me someday._

_Did he? _Angel asks.

_He did. The next time he came back he had a few bruises and scars more than I had remembered. He took me in as an apprentice and trained me to take down Division. One day, I came across a slip of paper with a name of a bank on it__ and an address of an apartment building underneath. I asked him about it and he closed up immediately and I never asked him again. Before I knew it, it was time. I made my move and got caught purposely. The School saw talent in me they had never seen before and decided I would make a good weapon. Here I am now. _Gazzy finishes.

_That's ironic. I'm here for the same thing. Different person though and different story. _Angel says.

_Who's your mentor? _Gazzy asks.

_Maximum Ride. _Angel replies smirking at Gazzy's wide eyed expression.

_No way! She's like enemy number 1 on every School list! _Gazzy says. _Are you sure you can trust her?_

Angel's expression darkened. _Trust me; I have more than enough reason to trust her._

* * *

><p>I arrive at the docks hoping it wasn't too late.<p>

**He's on the west side of town, in a house close, Hampton Village. **My voice says. Glad to know it's good for something other than confusing me.

I arrive at a grey bricked house with big windows and a Mercedes in the driveway. I whistled Iggy was loaded. Iggy with his superior hearing heard me before I get to the door.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Iggy growls as he flings the door open.

"I'm Maximum Ride." I say and I kick him in the stomach and quickly have him in an arm lock.

"What the hell Max! Get off!" He yells at me and I pin him against the floor and hold a gun to his head.

"You get 5 seconds to explain yourself before I blow your brains out." I warn him steel in my voice but smirking because he couldn't see and that I could still kick his butt. Suddenly he jerked upwards bring and elbow to my gut and rolled me over so that had me pinned.

"Certainly Max, I missed you too." He laughs and I growl as he pushes my face into the carpet.

* * *

><p>"Where is his current address?" Ella asks Nudge through the comm.<p>

"One moment, still loading." Nudge exclaims frustrated, Nudge cared for Iggy too. She was much better a friend to him than Ella ever was. Why did he have to like Ella?

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_Hey Nudge, I was wondering…" Iggy begins nervously._

"_What's up?" Nudge asks blushing slightly._

"_Would you like to…? Can I…? Will you…? Grraghh!" He says not finding the right words. Nudge giggles._

"_Iggy! You're wanted in Jeb's office ASAP!" Ella says to him and Iggy growls in frustration._

"_Isn't he so cute?" Ella asks Nudge and Nudge's heart sinks. Ella was beautiful and smart, how could she ever compete with that?_

"_If you say so." Nudge says dully and goes back to her computer, I mean why would Iggy ever like me? Nudge asks herself._

* * *

><p>"Ella, ease up on Nudge. We'll find him okay?" Fang says trying to calm Ella down. He had rarely seen Ella like this, flying off the handle. Ella bites her lip and nods. They head over to Hampton Village. Fang sees many black cars driving around Saskatoon trying to find Iggy. Jeb was in one of those cars. Fang knew that he wouldn't find Iggy unless he wanted to be found and right now, he didn't.<p>

Then Fang frowned, wondering why Jeb went out on this mission personally. He never ever went out and when he did, it was usually pretty serious. Fang wondered what he was hiding.

"What is Jeb hiding?" Ella mutters to herself and Fang looks at her surprised. She never doubted Jeb, well at least not openly and now Fang was seeing a whole different side of her. Not the cold, steel voiced Ella with her methods of "helping" recruits. Not the dark frightening Ella, the inquisitor. No, this was the first time in a long time Fang saw her show any care. Since Iggy "died".

Fang gritted his teeth knowing what it felt like. He didn't agree with Jeb, not even close to 100% but Fang had no choice. Lately though, he had begun to break the rules more and more since Max rose from her ashes. No, he didn't agree with everything Jeb told him but on the other hand, he can't disobey Jeb.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_Why? Why did we have to kill her?" Max asks after a hard mission and killing a witness._

"_They were orders Max you don't have a choice." Fang says through gritted teeth._

"_How about you Fang, huh? Do you have a choice?" Max shoots back at him. Fang ignores her._

"_Answer me!" Max yells._

"_No I don't! You know why? Because I owe Jeb my life. My whole fucking life!" Fang yells at her and slams the door behind him. Max stood there shocked. It was the first time she had ever seen Fang so angry._

* * *

><p>"Okay, he's at 6251 McCallum lane. Be careful, he will be armed." Nudge's voice is strained with impatience.<p>

"Got it, Fang and Ella out." Fang says and takes off in that direction.

* * *

><p>I look around Iggy's house. Everything was painted white and in perfect order. Of course it was painted white, Iggy could see things on a white background but I didn't know he was the clean type. I whistle again. "Iggy, man where'd you get all the money?" I ask him admiring his professional kitchen. "Oh wait, don't answer that. I know." I mock him. His face hardens.<p>

"Max, I didn't steal money. In the time that I left the School, I became the famous chef James Griffiths." He says.

"Then explain to me why you were robbing a bank?" I ask him.

He sighs, "When I was going to be cancelled, Jeb instead put me on a new mission. To guard a black box." I look at him in shock.

"Wait, you have the black box?" I ask him suspiciously.

"One of them anyway." Iggy says and my heart drops.

"How many are there?" I ask.

"About six or seven." Iggy says face scrunching up in concentration.

"What does this have to do with the bank?" I ask him and Iggy looks at me as if I were stupid. Sometimes, I swear if he weren't blind, I wouldn't know he was.

"That's where I was keeping the black box." He says and I look at him.

"Why did you rob the bank then?" I ask him.

"I didn't! That's what I've been trying to tell you! The School sent people to take me down as I was retrieving the box and I had to take them down." Iggy says and I look at him sceptically.

"Why were you retrieving the box?" I ask him.

"I went after you screamed at me and the charged off." Iggy says. "I decided it was time to end this."

"I do not charge off!" I say insulted.

"Uh, yeah you do, it's your middle name. Max Charging Off Ride." He says smirking and I punch him in the arm but he blocks it. Dang, he's good.

"Well what were you going to do with it?" I ask him.

"I hadn't gotten that far yet." Iggy says and I roll my eyes. Suddenly I spot a red dot on the carpet. I tap Iggy's hand twice. He sits up alarmed and stays completely silent I know he's listening but he doesn't notice the red dot. I watch as the red dot travels up and locks in on Iggy's chest. I pull him up and a bullet flies in and hits him in the leg. Iggy bites his lip in pain and I drag him of the house and up out through a sky light. I go into hyper drive and fly out of the province as fast as I can. I pass by Fang and I can't help but leave him a little message. I zoom right by him, so close that only a feather brushes his face. I land us both on top of an apartment building and Iggy winces as he lands on his leg. I examine the wound.

"Through and through." I say. "You got lucky." I comment and tie a tourniquet on his leg.

"Sure I did." He says and I sigh. His phone rings and he answers it.

"Iggy?" A male voice comes slightly inarticulate as if it were a text to speech converter.

"What's left of him." Iggy says and I smile. Even in times like this, Iggy can still crack a joke.

"Fang and Ella left for you. So did Jeb. Are you okay?" The voice asks.

"I'm fine. Stay on the down low, encrypted chat, later. 2000 do you understand?" Iggy says.

"Copy that." The voice says and hangs up.

"Who was that?" I ask him.

"My informant." He says and I think of Angel.

"Speaking of which." I say and open a tiny laptop I carry around with me. I open my shell box hoping Angel is there. I had gotten really worried about her the last time she disappeared. She contacted as soon as she got her memory restored and out of Ella's grasps. She told me the whole story and I was burning with anger by the end.

Are you there?

**Yes I am. Did you get Iggy?**

How did you know about Iggy?

**Gazzy told me.**

Who's Gazzy?

**I'll explain later. Oops sorry, g2g.**

I closed the shell and sighed. What was going on?

"What were you doing?" Iggy asks me.

"Talking to my informant." I say and smirk at his reaction. Then he winces and I remember his cut.

"Come on, let's go." I say to him as I haul him up and speed for home. It takes another two hours but I haul him into my apartment. Lay him down in the Guest bedroom and give him some blood. He was lying in a room and I looked over and saw Celeste, tears welled to my eyes as I thought of Angel. I shouldn't have sent her into the School.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_No Angel, you can't. It's too dangerous." I tell her._

"_No Max, you listen. You don't have to protect me anymore." She says and is about to take off I grab her arm._

"_Angel no, if you want to do this, let me train you first." I say and she smiles._

"_I knew you would come around." She says._

* * *

><p>I never should have given in. No Angel is in so much danger every day.<p>

* * *

><p>Fang feels a small whizz of wind past his ear and the tickle of a feather. Then he sees a spot of blood on his jeans. <em>Max. <em>He thinks softly to himself and Ella senses it too.

"Max was here." She says coldly. Fang nods.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_What's the deal with you and Ella?" Fang asks._

"_She's my sister." Max answered shortly._

"_Why do you hate her so much?" Fang asks._

_Max sighs, "I'm the eldest child. Valencia Martinez was my mother. Jeb is my father."_

"_What do you mean by was?" Fang asks._

_Max's eyes harden. "One day back when I was still at Anne's place. I was flying home when I saw these two street thugs corner Ella into a wall. I saved her from the street thugs but one of them clipped me with a bullet." _

"_Well then why does she hate you so much? You saved her life." Fang asks confused._

"_Well after I was shot, I walked and I tried to get some help. I couldn't go to a hospital obviously and I wandered around the neighbourhood until I saw Ella again. She waved at me and smiled and I waved back. Then her eyes opened in horror as she saw the blood on my hands and the blood that was quickly seeping through my white t-shirt. She brought me into her house and her mother, a veterinarian helped me." Max says._

"_But she didn't hate you then?" Fang asks._

"_No she didn't. After a while she became like a sister to me and her mom a mother to me as well. I spent more and more time with them, trying to get away from Anne as often as I could. One day I discovered a picture of me as a baby in one of Valencia's bird books. She finally broke down and told me she was my mother. I was ecstatic. Unfortunately Ella was not. She always saw me as competition. I didn't know. I told them about where I worked and my plan to escape. They were absolutely shocked but helped me nonetheless. One day Ella showed up home with a pair of wings. I realized that she was working for the School and she knew all of my secrets and she told the School about Dylan. They terminated him immediately and you know what happened after that. I can't believe my own sister, someone I trusted everything with betrayed me like that." Max says._

"_What about your mother?" Fang asks._

"_Ella hid her, I haven't seen her since the day she took out my chip and then baked me a batch of cookies." Max says wiping a tear that had escaped from her eye._

* * *

><p>I got up from the bed and walked over to my window overlooking a beautiful sunset on a cityscape. I sighed and drew the blinds. Then I took a shower and went to sleep.<p>

I woke up to the smell of eggs frying on a frying pan.

"Good morning Maxie." Iggy calls from the kitchen.

"What the hell Iggy! Go back to bed, you're still injured remember?" I yelled at him for being so careless.

"Relax Max, It's already scarred over. Why don't you sit down?" He says and I relax.

"So what are you making Iggy?" I ask him.

"Bacon and Eggs." He says.

"Is that how gourmet the famous James Griffiths can cook?" I tease.

"Shush, you didn't have anything else in your kitchen. Also, what are those burned dishes?" He asks.

"My attempts at cooking, which is why I usually eat out." I reply remembering the time I almost burned down the kitchen.

"Exactly, so don't complain." He says as he expertly slides some eggs onto a plate and passes them to me then he slides the rest onto another plate for him. I take a bite and it was absolutely delicious. Iggy really had a talent for cooking.

"Max, people usually close their mouth when the chew." He says smirking and I look at him in shock. I forgot how non-blind he acted.

"You need to teach me." I say.

"Sorry Max, but you're a lost cause. This is funny because usually women are the cooks in the house." He says and I smack him on the head for being a sexist pig. I gobble down the rest of my food and steal a piece of bacon from his plate.

"Hey!" He exclaims. "Stealing food from the blind guy."

"Oh Puh-lease. When have you ever acted blind Iggy?" I ask him and he shuts up immediately. Then his cellphone rings.

"Iggy where are you?" I hear Jeb's voice coming through the phone.

"What do you want?" He growls.

"You know what I want." Jeb replies calmly. "Now as for giving it to me, I have Tess." Iggy growls.

"You wouldn't dare." Iggy threatens.

"I would and you know I will. Meet at point A, 0900." Jeb says and hangs up. Iggy stands up to leave.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"To the grocery store." He answers flatly and walks out promptly.

I stare after him.

* * *

><p>Fang and Ella arrive back in the School HQ.<p>

"We need more information." Fang says to Nudge.

"I can't get anymore, unless we get it from Jeb's office." Nudge says helplessly.

"Well then we you need to do." Fang answers. Nudge looks at him with wide eyes.

"No. We can't." Nudge says fearing Jeb.

"We don't have any other choice." Fang says and Nudge presses her lips into a thin line.

"Nudge come on, please?" Ella begs and Nudge sighs.

"Fine." Nudge says.

* * *

><p>"Target is in range, he is bringing in the package." Ratchet tells Jeb.<p>

"Good get ready to move." Jeb orders.

"All positions, green light, exterminate." Ratchet gives the order and shot fires out and hits Iggy with something that knocks him out.

* * *

><p>Iggy wakes up in a dark room.<p>

"Where is it?" Jeb growls at him.

"What?" Iggy asks.

"You know what I'm talking about." Jeb answers. Iggy looks away.

"Give me the package and I'll let Tess go." Jeb says.

"No." Iggy says.

"Fine." Jeb says and he shows him a T.V. screen. On the T.V. screen is a little girl who looks exactly like Iggy. She is trapped in a cage and looks dead tired. "Begin." He says into comms and Iggy watches as a thousand different needles pierce her skin at the same time. He hears her cry out in pain.

"Stop!" He screams at Jeb. "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

"It's too late for that now." Jeb says and it doesn't stop. Each one of the needles begins drawing blood out of her slowly and painfully.

"I'll give it to you! I promise!" Iggy screams, "Just stop hurting her!" Jeb ignores him. The girl's cries get weaker and weaker and they finally fade. Her eyes remain open and unblinking.

"No Tess, come on don't die on me now. I love you." Iggy says to the little girl as tears start rolling freely. "Daddy loves you."

"Take her away." Jeb says and two scientists come in and roughly pull the needles out of her skin. They take her unmoving body away.

"You bastard!" Iggy yells at Jeb. "She was an innocent little girl! She was innocent!"

"I told you there would be consequences, besides, her life or yours. Don't forget I saved your life many years ago."

"This was not part of the deal." Iggy says through gritted teeth.

"Ah but I define the deal Iggy, not you. And contracts are subject to change." Jeb says and walks out promptly from the room.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_What you have done Iggy, is betray us. You know this treason is punishable by death." Jeb says._

"_Yes sir." Iggy says flatly._

"_However, I have seen you to have great potential. I will spare your life." Jeb says and Iggy looks at him confused._

"_On one condition. You guard a tool for me and you provide a donation." Jeb says._

"_What kind of donation?" Iggy asks._

"_You'll see." Jeb says, smirks and leaves._

_He finds her, he finally finds her. He hears her little voice and her swinging on the swing set._

"_Daddy?" The little girl asks._

"_Are you Tess?" Iggy asks._

"_Yes!" The little girl yells and lunges for Iggy. Iggy's grin widens and he picks the little girl up and spins her around. They have a nice long chat. Tess is adorable with her sandy blond hair pulled up into pigtails, her small grey wings. Iggy asks her about school and friends she's made. He finds his daughter that the School had created._

"_Will you come visit me again?" Tess asks and Iggy promises her that he will. Then he sees someone watching them from an apartment. A guardian. Iggy frowns and leaves. The next day he goes back and he finds the apartment empty._

"_No." He whispers to himself. "No!"_

* * *

><p><strong>Sneak Peak<strong>

_"Iggy, I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is my black box?" Jeb asks. Iggy looks at him with unseeing eyes. Jeb sighs and Ratchet proceeds to pick Iggy up by the hair and shove him into a cage._

_"Nighty night bird boy." Ratchet says cruelly before he injects something into Iggy's bloodstream. Iggy lets the familiar darkness surround him like falling on an endless blanket of midnight._

* * *

><p><strong>Awee so now I feel sad. Please review! Since you guys have been super awesome lately, my goal is to have 3 reviews. Tell me what you think of Iggy's daughter! I might post another chapter tomorrow, definitely over the long weekend though! Happy Thanksgiving guys!<strong>

**Random Question: What is your favourite subject in school?**


	9. Digging Deep

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Nikita.**

* * *

><p><em>Previously...<em>

_"Will you come visit me again?" Tess asks and Iggy promises her that he will. Then he sees someone watching them from an apartment. A guardian. Iggy frowns and leaves. The next day he goes back and he finds the apartment empty._

_"No." He whispers to himself. "No!" _

* * *

><p>My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 2 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. I was the first recruit to ever get out and I'm going to make certain I'm not the last. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. I'm going to take them down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.<p>

* * *

><p>Nudge opens the door and Fang walks into Jeb's office with Ella.<p>

"All I know is he was sent to protect hard drive serial BB3691." Nudge says and turns around to leave.

"Thanks Nudge, no one will know you were ever here." Fang says and Nudge nods once and closes the door behind her.

"Well hello there." Max says on screen.

"What are you doing here?" Ella asks coldly.

"Missed you too dear little sister." Max replies.

"Oh puh-lease, I never understood why mom liked you better. It was always Max this, Max that. She only baked you cookies did you know that? Yeah and I knew I could be better than you. When you were an agent, I was still a recruit but once I exposed your secret, I was promoted immediately." Ella says smirking.

"You little bitch." Max says through gritted teeth.

"Ella." Fang warns and shakes his head slightly. "Max, why are you here?"

"Don't play dumb with me." Max says.

"What are you talking about?" Fang asks.

"Did Jeb really never tell you?" Max asks.

"Tell me what?" Fang asks.

"Where Iggy really went? What really happened to him?" Max asks. Fang shakes his head.

"Well, let me show you." Max says and switches the image on the monitor. The monitor showed a video of Jeb and Iggy talking.

"_What you have done Iggy, is betray us. You know this treason is punishable by death." Jeb says._

"_Yes sir." Iggy says flatly._

"_However, I have seen you to have great potential. I will spare your life." Jeb says and Iggy looks at him confused._

"_On one condition. You guard a tool for me and you provide a donation." Jeb says._

"_What kind of donation?" Iggy asks._

"_You'll see." Jeb says, smirks and leaves._

"What kind of donation did he give?" Ella asks.

"And you question why mother always like me better." Max says and rolls her eyes pointing to the picture of the little girl who was an exact replica of Iggy.

"Her name is Tess, they created her from Iggy's DNA. She has Iggy heightened senses but she isn't blind. There are 5 other girls just like her, each from an agent gone rogue." Max says sadly. "Each one of them is made from the DNA of a successful rogue agent and their strengths are magnified in the child."

"Wait so you're telling us…?" Fang says unbelieving.

"Believe it." Max says and shows them another video. It was of Tess playing at the playground and a School agent called a guardian with her. Iggy shows up and they watch as he talks to her.

"If the school has been creating spawn from rogue agents, does that mean?" Ella trails off.

"No." Max replies, "I escaped on a mission, he never caught me." Max shows them another video, this time of Tess' lifeless body taken out of the cage. Fang and Ella gasp.

"They're going to kill him next and I'm the only one who can stop them." Max says getting up from her chair and turning the video feed off.

* * *

><p>"Iggy, I'm going to ask you one more time. Where is my black box?" Jeb asks. Iggy looks at him with unseeing eyes. Jeb sighs and Ratchet proceeds to pick Iggy up by the hair and shove him into a cage."Nighty night bird boy." Ratchet says cruelly before he injects something into Iggy's bloodstream. Iggy lets the familiar darkness surround him like falling on an endless blanket of midnight.<p>

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you Max had breached security, I'm having Nudge work on it right now." Fang says through gritted teeth.<p>

"Just deal with it for now." Jeb says as he receives another call. "Trace the call; I'm getting a call from Max."

"Hello Jeb." Max says pleasantly from the other side.

"What do you want?" He growls into the phone.

"I want Iggy." Max says.

"Now, now, Max, you know that things don't come for free." Jeb says.

"Okay Jeb, what do you want?" Max asks.

"You know what I want." Jeb replies. "Give me the box and I'll give you what's left of Iggy."

"You should've killed me when you had the chance." Iggy spits back at him.

"Dispose of him." Jeb says.

"Do that you'll never get your black box." Max warns.

"Hand off, stadium 0700, bring the black box and I'll bring Iggy." Jeb says.

"I'll be there." Max says and supposedly hangs up.

"Traced, she's 5.9 kilometers away from Jeb." Nudge says.

"Where's Jeb?" Fang asks.

"Down by the old docks on a freighter." Nudge replies.

"Bingo." Max says quietly to herself and takes off for the docks.

* * *

><p>Max sneaks up behind a guy and quickly takes him out. Ratchet hears him fall with his heightened senses.<p>

"All positions check in." Ratchet says into his comms.

"North side, clear." An Eraser says before he is taken out by Max with a quick blow to the back of the neck.

"She's here." Ratchet confirms.

"Well I'm going off site; can you take care of this?" Jeb asks.

"Yeah, of course." Ratchet replies and grabs his gun. As soon as Jeb's gone, Iggy swings his chair around and knocks Ratchet out with one blow. Iggy grabs a gun and runs after Jeb.

"Drop the gun." Iggy says to Jeb and Jeb drops it quickly. "Turn and face me you son of a bitch." Jeb turned around slowly. "You killed my daughter, my sweet innocent Tess. Look at me you monster! I should kill you right here and right now."

"Then the whole nation would suffer. Would you want that?" Jeb says.

"You said a life for a life right Jeb? Well how about yours for Tess'?" Iggy growls pointing the gun even closer.

"He's not worth it Iggy." Max says, coming up behind him.

"She was my family! My only family! My daughter!" Iggy cries out turning to face Max. "Do you know how that feels, to lose the one person you love?" Max bites her lip.

"Yeah, I do." Max replies quietly and Iggy realizes what he says. "Trust me Iggy; it gets worse before it gets better." Max says extending a hand to Iggy. "Remember Iggy, you'll always be part of my family." Max says as Iggy takes her hand.

"How touching." Jeb says and shoots Iggy in the stomach. Max quickly shoots right beside him to scare him.

"After we destroy your little black boxes, bet on me coming back and emptying a mag right into your face." Max growls and picks Iggy up. Max jumps and swoops down; struggling slightly with the added weight of Iggy but quickly gains altitude again. She takes Iggy home and treats his wounds.

* * *

><p>"Iggy has been terminated." Jeb announces as he enters his office. He had called a meeting after he found out about the breach of security. Ella pales and Nudge pale. Fang looks grim.<p>

Ella speaks up, "How sir? There must be some kind of mistake."

"No mistake, I shot him down myself." Jeb says.

"But…" Ella starts and Jeb cuts her off.

"Nudge, have you found out how Max breached security?" Jeb asks.

"N-no sir, not yet." Nudge stutters.

"Well then what are you doing here? Get to work!" Jeb barks at her sharply and she leaves quickly with her head bowed.

"Ella, Fang. Do what you need to do, hear me? Find Maximum Ride and retrieve the box at all costs. Any man is at your disposal." Jeb says and leaves the room.

Ella waits until he leaves. "Do you believe him?" Ella asks quietly.

Fang sighs, "I don't know Ella, I really don't know." Fang says and rubs his temples.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

"_Oh Max, we did warn you didn't we?" Ella says smirking as she arrives in a business suit while the cleaners take Dylan away._

"_You! How could you?" Max whispers too broken for anger._

"_Max, you should know by now, we are your family. He was just your cover." Ella says gesturing to the body now being covered up._

_Max didn't speak, she was trying to contain herself. She felt like she was going to rip into a million different pieces. No, he was her world. Without him, she had no world. Max took off into the air, getting as high as she could and then free falling. Free falling to her death. If Dylan wasn't in this world, she didn't want to be here either. The strange thing is, Max never remembered hitting the ground._

* * *

><p>That's how Ella felt right now, like she was being torn piece by piece, limb from limb. She did care about Iggy, with all her heart. That's what made her job worthwhile, the fact that she got to see him. She was angry, angry that the world never spun in her favor. Iggy loved Nudge; it was as plain as day and Max spent so much time with him, they were as close as brother and sister. No, she worked hard. She stayed late and tended to Iggy when he was hurt and even cured him of his claustrophobia. Now he was gone, the more she tried to hold on to him, the more he slipped away. It wasn't until Ella started to feel dizzy did she realize she wasn't breathing. The world started to slip away and fade into nothingness.<p>

* * *

><p>Angel didn't know if she should tell Gazzy or not. No. She shouldn't. If Max was killed by Jeb, how would Angel feel if Gazzy knew and didn't tell her? Iggy was Gazzy's partner in crime.<p>

"Gazzy, Angel, Jeb wants to see you in his office." Fang calls and they go to Jeb's office together.

"It has come to my attention that both of you are excelling in your classes. Now this doesn't happen very often but you two are receiving your test early. Think of it as a gift." Jeb says looking at each of them. Angel's eyes widen and sees Gazzy's do the same.

"Thank you, sir." They both say and unison and quietly leave the room.

"This wasn't part of the plan." Gazzy mutters to himself and Angel is thinking the same thing.

* * *

><p>Iggy wakes up feeling like death. He is disoriented at where he is.<p>

"You're at my place." Max tells him.

"Ugh." Iggy groans and the sniffs the air. "Did you burn something?" He asks.

"Yeah, the stove." Max replies sheepishly and holds out a Tim Horton's bag out to him instead. "Here, have this instead."

"Thanks." Iggy says taking the sandwich out and eating it in silence.

"So you wanna talk about it?" Max asks and Iggy shakes his head but then looks like he changes his mind.

"I never had the chance to apologize for… you know, Dylan." Iggy says and the mention of him brings tears to my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't believe I put you through so much pain. Yet now here I am same position as you. Karma's a bitch huh?" Iggy says and chuckles weakly. I smile and wipe the tear from my eye with the back of my palm. I hug Iggy as tightly as I can until he lets out a grunt of pain and I remember his broken ribs.

* * *

><p><strong>Big evaluation coming up.<strong>

This early? How can that be?

**I'm not sure.**

Okay I need you to do one thing then.

* * *

><p>"Lissa, you want to spar?" Angel asks with a smirk on her face.<p>

"Bring it on; I could beat you any day." Lissa replies growling. Angel dragged Lissa onto the sparring mat and took a fighting stance. Lissa started by aiming a kick at Angel but Angel blocked it easily. Then Angel punched Lissa in the jaw but Lissa grabbed Angel's arm. Angel gritted her teeth and flipped herself over. She heard her arm break and collapsed on the floor.

"You got lucky, it's a clean break." The doctor said to Angel looking at the x-rays. "Stay here and don't move got it?"

"Sure thing Doc." Angel says through gritted teeth. The doctor leaves and Angel goes to the computer and types in a code from Nudge's head. She pulls up a few files, prints them and quickly closes the windows while tucking the papers away. She hears the doctor coming back and Angel quickly gets back on the bed.

"Alright take these pills once a day and take it easy for about a day, okay?" The doctor says and Angel nods and leaves.

* * *

><p><strong>BB3980, it's in Cairo, Egypt. If you find it, you'll be able to find the one after that.<strong>

Thanks, in the meantime, over exaggerate that injury; they'll give you the longer tests first. We'll be on our way soon.

**Who's we?**

_Max is offline_

* * *

><p>"Come on Iggy, you need to get up." Max tells him.<p>

"No Max, why should I? I have nothing left living for." Iggy says.

"No Iggy, you do. We've destroyed the first box, there are 6 others. We can do this!" Max says.

"Why should I care?" Iggy grumbles and Max slaps him across the face.

"Why should you care? Hmm, let's see, there's a world that needs saving and innocent children that need to be protected. Iggy don't you see? I'm one step closer to bringing down Jeb, one step closer to bringing down the school. I'm going to make sure he doesn't do to anyone else what he did to Dylan and Tess." Max says angrily and Iggy looks at her shocked. "So get your head out of your butt and help me."

"Okay." Iggy says finally and Max releases a breath she didn't know she was holding. "But I'm in charge." Max smacks him in the back of the head.

"That's the Iggy I know." Max says and takes off.

* * *

><p>"Angel, since you are unable to participate in the physical evaluation at the moment, we will start with a different kind of exercise." Ella says.<p>

"What kind of exercise?" Angel asks.

"You will be interrogating a prisoner just brought in to the School. His name is Salah; he was one of our guardians until he went rogue a few days back from Cairo. What we need to know is where he hid the child and the box. You have 10 minutes to get us our Intel or you fail and I'll get it myself. Remember this is an evaluation for agent status so try not to fail." Ella says and opens the door. "One more thing Angel, if positive incentives aren't working feel free to use negative ones." Ella says and shuts the door.

Angel takes a deep breath and walks in. She sees a medium height man, hanging by only his wrists up from the ceiling. He had light brown skin and close cropped black hair. His shirt was off and Angel could see all the scars on his back.

"Oh, what, so they send children in now? Weak, that's just weak." He shouts at the camera in the room.

"Shut up." Angel barks sharply and looks straight into his eyes.

"Yeah, let's just get on with it." The man says and looks away.

"Where did you hide the child?" Angel asks, straight to the point.

Salah snorts, "As if I'd tell you."

"No, maybe you'd like to tell me why you hid her. What's her name?" Angel asks holding eye contact again, if she concentrated maybe she could get into his brain.

"Why would you care? Your people were trying to kill him after all." Salah says.

"Him huh? So it's a boy?" Angel asks and Salah looks away again. Angel catches a picture of a boy with black hair and grey eyes. He looked about 10.

"Brown hair with black eyes?" Angel asks and Salah looks at her with shock.

"What are you?" He asks her and Angel smiles angelically. She unfolds her wings.

"No way." Salah breathes.

"Believe it. We have been very patient with you Salah. I don't want to hurt you, tell me who this boy is." Angel says.

Salah looks into Angel's eyes and Angel finally gets past his mind blocks. Suddenly Salah starts talking, as if he were in Angel's control.

"His name is Holden, 17 years old and the son of Arianna Chase. Has the ability to regenerate. He is currently in a School safe house on a mountain." Salah says.

"Which mountain?" Angel prompts.

"Pennsylvania, Turkey trail, Appalachian mountains." Salah answers and Angel turns away. Salah sucks in a deep breath.

"What did you do to me?" Salah asks but Angel leaves without another word.

"I'm assuming you got all of that." Angel says into her comms.

"Very good Angel, I'm very proud of you." Ella says.

* * *

><p><strong>Max, listen to me, he's not in Cairo anymore. He's in Pennsylvania. Off of the Turkey trail in the Appalachian Mountains.<strong>

_Max is offline_

* * *

><p><strong>Sneak Peak<strong>

_"Relax, we aren't here to hurt you."_

_"What have you done to my son?"_

_"I killed him."_

_"It was just a test. Another in the many more to come."_

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this ch<strong>**apter was so short guys, I have writer's block and I'm not completely sure where I want to go with this story. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up soon. Hmm... well, review to give me your opinion on where I could go with this right now! After all, many brains are better than half of one, right? ;) **


	10. Apologies!

_**Apologies everyone who is still reading this story, or new potential readers?**_

_**SORRY GUYS! I've been super busy with school this year and I know, I haven't updated at all, please don't kill me! I gotten really into kpop just over the year, for all of you who don't know, kpop is korean pop. I'm totally chinese, but you know, I can't argue, they have a few hot asian guys. ;) So I'll be on hiatus until I can get into the groove of writing again after summer school (new credit course, not because of failure) which won't be until August. I'll finish my only ongoing story which is "My Name is Maximum Ride" whenever I get a chance to. Right now, I am currently working on my story on another site .com where I am under the pen name madamX (really creative right? ;) ) So, if you really feel like, check it out if you want. Although I'm updating slowly there too. Anyways, I'm currently working on the next chapter of MNIMR, so I'll post that as soon as possible. Sorry again guys, but I'll probably be on hiatus again after I update this chapter until about August where I can hopefully finish the story. Depending on how I feel about the story, it may be my last story on . Well. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. _**This is not an update! Sorry if you just got trolled. ;)**_**_


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